The World Is As We Make It
by Shadowfish
Summary: A group of six friends survive on their own for while, living off of broken spirits, canned goods, bad jokes, and dead hopes. When they reach Atlanta and find the group, the learn that things aren't always as they appear. The two groups join, but is it for the better? Or the worse? Follows both the comic and television series. Will be rated M in later chapters.
1. Don't Eat the Cat!

**Author's Note: Welcome to my Walking Dead Story! This is being written for my own twisted mind, as well as a couple of my friend's. Please Review, Favorite, anything! I'd be extremely happy, and it would motivate me to write more often! =]**

**I own my six characters: Aaliyah, Mason, Sam, Caleb, Katy, and Julio. (And more to come...)**  
**I don't own the Walking Dead, comics or books. I Wish. Maybe I wouldn't always be broke...**

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"You know, I would kill to have a shower. A long, nice hot shower." Five of my friends and I were sitting around a softly burning campfire. The sun was just setting over the horizon, turning the sky into a palette of orange and pink. The sky was clear, and you could see the brightest stars beginning to emerge beyond the thick tree canopy. The summer weather was muggy, yet cool, though the days were getting hotter and more humid as we traveled.

It has been three weeks since… well, I can't even bring myself to say it. It's still not real to me yet, I guess. In the heat of the moment when you have diseased teeth snapping at you, sure it feels real, but in the cool twilight? I'm getting ahead of myself. I just can't wrap my brain around it is all.  
To my left is Mason, a tall, gangly blonde sailor in his working uniform, which he calls 'BDUs' I still don't know what that stands for, but they are this sort of digital pattern that range from a medium blue to a royal blue. He rolls up the sleeves to keep them out of his way, and his pants are forever tucked into his boots, which have turned grey from the dirt and dust. He has a couple of tattoos, but he isn't covered in them. Next to him is Caleb and Catherine. I call her Katy, but most people call her Cathy. They're an odd couple, but I think this whole ordeal has really brought them together. I remember they were both thinking about splitting up before… they had been together for two years. They're holding hands right now, and she has her head leaning against his shoulder. He has medium brown hair, is really really skinny and is wearing an orange hoodie. She has long curly brown hair in a pony tail, and is a tad bit short. Next to them is Julio. He has medium, messy black hair, and is kind of stocky. He's Puerto Rican, and of course, a soccer player. He is hot-tempered, but mostly great to talk to. On my right side, sitting next to Julio is Samuel. Everyone calls him Sam. He's the second tallest of our group, just a few inches shorter than Mason. He had a thick head of dark brown hair, which is usually covered in a beanie. We were at his house when everything happened. I'm glad we all were, otherwise I'd have never seen them again.  
"Good Fucks, yes. A shower would be fantastic right now." Sam replied to Mason, who was poking the fire with a stick to keep the embers glowing.  
"I would like a change of clothes – these are starting to smell unbearable." Katy said, sighing and scrunching her nose up.  
"I figured you'd be used to it, being with him all the time." Julio joked, tossing a handful of leaves at Caleb.  
"Aw, fuck you man, I was busy." He replied, throwing two handfuls over Julio's head. We laughed at them. Really, it was their antics, with Mason and Sam's humor that kept us sane. Julio tossed another couple of leaves back while Katy rolled her eyes.  
"Ohh, you know what I'd love? Some cookie dough. It's been so long, I can't believe I always turned my mom down when she was making them. She made the best cookies in the whole damn world." Sam replied, his face falling at the end of his sentence. I looked hard at him, sympathetic. It was hard knowing that everyone you knew was probably dead – it was even harder seeing it. The group grew quiet. I hated times like this – someone would mention family, or friends, or the life that was.

It was a typical Friday night – typical for us, anyways. It had been the only time we really spent all together, since everyone had it off. It was late at night, around eleven or twelve. There was a storm in the area, passing over with intense fury, rain pounding on the windows incessantly. We had all just come from work, or school, and everyone was in a mood to get more than tipsy. We all decided that Sam's house had been the best place to hang out – there was the most room, because he still lived with his parents. They were cool, though, so none of us really cared. I knew I didn't want five people in my tiny apartment – I could barely even fit in my personal gnome home.

"Dude, listen to this!" I was reading an article, laughing. Three of them looked up at me, on the couch, not bothering to pause the video game. The other two were in the kitchen, getting drinks, but I knew they could hear me.  
"A man in Miami was shot after cops saw him eating another person's face, two days ago. He was naked, and in the middle the city. He basically just attacked a random dude. It says that the dude was on a LSD high, and he was naked because too much makes you sweaty and have hot flashes. He ate half of the guys face completely off." I summarized the article, in disbelief.  
"Oh, man, he has got to be a zombie." Sam replied quickly, with a short bark of a laugh, pointing the black video game controller in his hand at me. He was sitting cross legged a few feet in front of me.  
"Yeah, we're in the zombie apocalypse now, didn't you hear?" Mason replied, turning his head back to the video game, as he lounged lazily on the loveseat, diagonal to me. His long legs stuck out at odd angles. He was far too tall to lay comfortably, but too quirky to sit like a normal human being.  
"They probably had to shoot him in the head, and it was a cover up, so that people don't go panicking and everything." Caleb laughed next to me on the couch, his high-pitched nasal voice matching his goofy personality.  
"What would we all do in the impending apocalypse?" Katy's voice rang out from the kitchen, as she popped the tab off of two Wine Coolers. She sat next to Caleb, and handed him the second drink, as he reached his arm around her shoulders, and planted a kiss on her cheek. Julio walked back into the living room with a bag of unopened chips, apparently forgetting he had gone in there for a drink. He sat down next to Mason and opened the bag, smiling.  
"Yeah, we should have a plan, just in case we are all about to get eaten alive by zombies." He said before stuffing a chip into his mouth.  
"Well, a Mall is out of the question." Sam joked.  
"Oh, what we would do is probably go out to sea! Just stock up on supplies and get a medium sized yacht, or a sail boat or something. We could fish for food, and zombies can't swim." Mason replied. I looked over at him, and shook my head. "Of course you would say that, sailor boy. Do you know how to sail?" He hadn't even changed out of his Navy uniform, and he was still wearing his boots.  
"What? It would work. I'd learn real quick. We'd get far enough away, and just drift to save gas in the motor."

"Nah, what if we ran outta food? Or supplies? Or there is a big storm? We'd die." Katy said bluntly.  
I cut him off before he could retort. "I say we would go out to the middle of the country – somewhere with a lot of farm land, and just far enough from a small town. We could live off of the land for the most part, and when we need supplies, just go into town." I replied, with a shrug.  
"The only problem with that is that we're all in Florida. Getting to the middle of the country is going to be hard – most of the high ways would be jammed with cars. And Zombies." Julio replied.  
"How about this. We'd load up in my SUV, go to the gun store, then the grocery store, get a full tank of gas and high-tail it outta here, before things start to go down." Mason replied.  
"We got this! I'm almost hoping that guy in Miami was a zombie, then we could have some real fun!" Sam laughed.  
As he was finishing his sentence, the front door opened. A breeze of cold air went through the house, and Sam's mother, Carolynn, walked in the door, her dark blue scrubs soaked, and her blonde hair dripping.  
"Hey g-guys. Is your father home?" She said, shivering. She dropped her bag next to the door and made her way quickly towards her room.  
I waved, and replied with a muted greeting. Mason, Julio, and Caleb's eyes were glued to the screen. Katy waved and smiled as well.  
"Yeah, he's on the computer in your room. Hey mom. Guess what?" Sam replied, without looking up.  
"What?"  
"It's raining." Lightning rolled across the sky, followed by the low threat of thunder.  
"You know, I actually figured that one out." She replied, sarcastically before disappearing in her room. She emerged a few moments later, with an oversized sleeveless shirt and sweats, drying her hair with a towel.  
"I had the craziest night. Some kid actually bit me today. It hurt like a fucker, too, I had to get stitches." She said, crossing the living room and walking into the kitchen. The six of us looked at each other, catching each others eyes. Before I could stop myself, I burst into laughter, and the others followed suit.

"What the hell is so funny about that?" She asked, heating up a kettle for tea.

It took a few moments, but finally, Sam choked out a response.

"We were just talking about the zombie apocalypse. Some guy bit off another guys face in Miami, so we figured the world must be over."

" I heard about that. Well, you know where the first aid kit is. If the world does end, you should take the hurricane kit too. But the world isn't going to end, because zombies don't exist."

"That's what everyone thinks until the world ends." Mason replied over his shoulder. Carolynn shook her head at our antics. The laughter died down, and the kettle boiled. Steam rose, and suddenly it started to scream. She took it off, and poured the hot water into a cup. She watched the video game over the breakfast bar, while her tea steeped.  
I stood up, ready to get a drink, finally. I had been a bit late to this particular get together – I always went for a nice run after the sun went down, after work. The gym I always went to had just installed this brand-new rock wall – something I hadn't tried in a while. So I went for a short run on the treadmill, and then spent another hour climbing the walls. My childhood wasn't spent in vain – my tree and rock climbing skills were still pretty sharp. I have my father to blame, I suppose.  
As I walked in the kitchen, Carolynn was reaching above the fridge for a jar of honey to sweeten her tea. I waited at the fridge, noticing her bandage. With a morbid curiosity, and an intense desire to see the wound, I asked her if I could see it.  
"Sure, but it isn't pretty." She replied, setting down the jar. She gingerly lifted the tape and exposed the wound to fresh air. The bite was brutal. The flesh surrounding it had bruised, and taken an almost greenish tint. The edges were jagged, and I could count eight different stitches.  
"Geez, did the kid try and rip the flesh off?" She twisted her arm carefully and looked at it.  
"He was pretty out of it. He had a rough fever, and kept talking about a doll of some sort. He had a good chunk of his leg missing, from a dog bite. I was trying to take his BP, and suddenly he lashed out, giving me this sucker."  
"Woof. I hope he's alright. Did they do any tests on you or anything?"

"Nah. It was pretty early, and I had a bunch of stuff to do. I just got it cleaned, stitched, and kept working. Anyways. What time do you work tomorrow? I was thinking of making breakfast, since they're giving me the day off cause of the incident." She stirred a generous spoonful of honey in her hot tea.  
I walked back to the fridge and pulled out a fruity wine-cooler. I thought about going for the beer, but I didn't feel like anything too heavy. I had class, and work tomorrow, so I didn't want to push it. "I can't. I have to go in at seven. Thanks for the offer, though."  
"No problem. You can't be the only one to cook when you're over."

I smiled widely, and she smiled back, stirring her tea. She turned, and stumbled, her hands shaking. The tea fell onto her, spilling the hot liquid down her shirt and pants.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked, concerned.  
"Son of a… Geez, that's hot." She set down her cup, and bent away, pulling the fabric of her shirt away from her flesh to prevent burning. As I looked down at her, I noticed she looked tired, and her brow was slick with sweat. I grabbed a hand towel off of the oven, and handed it to her. She began to mop up her shirt, then bent low to mop up the rest of the tea that had spilled on the floor.  
"Yeah, I haven't been feeling so hot. I think I might just go lay down, and forget the tea." She replied, trying to mop up the drink. She struggled to stand up, and Katy came into the room.  
"Is everything alright?" She asked, looking at me helping Carolynn up. I waved her off.

"Yeah, just a bit clumsy, me. She stood up and began to make her way towards her bedroom again.  
"You alright ma?" Sam asked, giving her a fleeting glance.  
"I'm fine, I'm just going to go to bed. Not enough sleep, I guess. Just keep it down, alright kids?"  
I bent down and picked up the sopping towel, and rang it out in the sink. I finished cleaning up, slightly worried.

An hour or so passed and we all had more than a few drinks. I had packed my bag for tomorrow morning, and found a pack of Uno cards – a prank from a co-worker. I didn't know which one, but I laughed. I had taken two of them, Mikayla and Jasmine, out for drinks the past month, and there was this hot Latino bartender flirting with us. We were all single, so we flirted back at him – even though we had way too many drinks. I kept saying "Uno More!" when we wanted a new round – and even more insistently, when he tried to cut us off. Mikayla had just broken us with her boyfriend, so I wanted to get her as messed up as possible – it succeeded, because she told me the next day she had never had a worse hangover.

They still made fun of me for the night, and had taken to buying cheap packs of cards and hiding them in my stuff – my apron, my car, my backpack, my hat, the freezer, everywhere. I even found a pack behind a toilet a week after the night. This one was Super hero themed, with a picture of Spiderman on the front. I decided it would be fun to play with them – and it turned into a drinking game.

"Ahahah! Red eight! I choose… Katy to be my mate!" Caleb cried out, his normally pale cheeks a bright red.  
"Of course you would!" Katy replied in frustration. He took a drink, and she took a drink after him. The boys laughed, while I gave a tired smile. I was up a bit later than usual, and I did want to turn in – but I'd rather have had a bit more fun, first.  
"Haha, REVERSE!" Mason threw down a red reverse card. He had decided not to drink, since he had to leave the house by four in the morning to get to work on time. I was drinking minimally, so I wouldn't have any large consequences of drinking heavily by seven tomorrow.  
"Ohhhh, Poop." Caleb cried out, drawing card, after card, after card – until he drew a draw four wilde card. Everyone groaned and drank for four long seconds while Caleb counted, laughing manically.  
Julio set down his empty bottle and hiccupped. For a few minutes everyone made fun of him while we continued the game.  
"Alright, fuck all of you, I'm gunna take a piss!" He nearly yelled, getting up and making his way to the restroom. He stumbled slightly when he passed the couch, making us all laugh.  
"Psss… hey guys, be quiet for a second, think my mom is calling me." Sam said, waving his arms at us. We sat there, not talking for a few seconds. There was a slight scratching sound at the door. "I think she's pissed, we were being pretty loud." He whispered to us, setting his cards down and getting up off the floor.  
There was another scratching sound, and we looked at the door, confused. It didn't sound like one of his cats – it was duller, and longer. We looked at each other in confusion. The seconds ticked by and Julio came out of the bathroom, and walked toward us. Sam neared the door, slow and confused.  
"Mom?" There was a loud moaning, accompanied by a series of banging by the door, violently.  
"Shit!" He went to open the door as we all sprang to our feet, our alarm high. We stood in a semi circle, watching Sam from across the room.

He quickly threw open the door, and that was when all hell broke loose.  
Sam's mom fell through the door, snarling and grabbing at Sam. He almost tripped, but yelled and scrambled backwards, out of the way. The noises coming out of her still haunt me – the very first time I heard that unreal moaning. As she struggled to stand, I realized then that something was different.  
"Mom? Mom, are you okay, what's wrong?" Sam asked, bending down to catch her eye, with one hand on her shoulder. She lunged at him and grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer. I could hear from clear across the room, her teeth click as she reached out to bite.  
"What the FUCK!" He yelled, and Mason dashed forward. We looked on in shock as Mason grabbed her arm and pulled her off of him, pushing Sam backwards even further, and shoving Carolynn down. The rest of us ran to him, looking at his mother. She was already starting to get back up – I finally noticed her front was covered in a dark crimson liquid, her face stained with blood. I glanced into her room behind her, and saw her husband's throat torn open, him lying lifeless with the computer next to him. Blood covered the light blue comforter as we looked on at her in horror.  
She was snarling, walking slowly towards us again. As we stared on in shock, only one thought came to my mind. When I look back, I suppose that it was instinct. That some sort of feral part of me came alive, that whole fight or flight thing. It kept me alive, so I stopped questioning it.  
"RUN!" I screamed at them, dashing back towards the couch. The others, their minds still blurred with alcohol took a few seconds to respond. With Carolynn still steadily walking closer, moaning and growling, Sam took even longer. Mason grabbed his shirt and dragged him across the room. Confusion ruled our worlds for a few seconds, no one knowing where to go. We stepped across our card game, knocking over drinks. I tossed my backpack on my shoulders, thankful I had packed. Sam was still staring at his blood soaked mother.  
"What's going on?" He screamed. "MOM! Listen to me!"  
We were behind a couch, and she didn't seem to know how to reach us. She kept walking into it's solid back while we stared at her in panic. The seconds seemed like hours.  
A cat ran up the side of the couch, wanting to be pet. She hardly looked at it as the cat rubbed up against her, before grabbing it with her bony hands and biting into it's back. For lack of a better term, it screamed and tried to claw itself out of her arms, but her hands had such a tight grip. Her face was bloody from deep claw marks, but she felt none of it. We all watched in horror as she ate one of her most precious pets like a mid day snack. Blood dripped thickly onto the pale rose patterned couch, dripping over everything. Carolynn chewed on the bones in its feet, and they snapped in her mouth – several puncturing her cheeks, without care.  
Everyone watched her as she devoured her pet, not knowing what to say, or what to do. I didn't really get a good look at the others, but I know their mouths must have been open in shock like mine.  
"Guys…" Mason whispered quietly, still holding onto Sam. Sam held onto him tightly in return.  
I gulped, knowing that our reality had just been shattered. We'd all be in therapy for years, and Sam… even though he was twenty, he looked like he was five years old. The despair on his face was evident, even showing through the pure shock.  
I don't really remember how everything happened next. I remember that something took over inside me, like something in my brain snapped. One minute, I was feeling a good buzz from the drinks I had, the next I was in utter shock, and then… Something instinctual took over. I needed to survive, and I needed everyone else to survive. The other's have told me so often exactly what I said, and what I did… but it's kind of like remembering a dream. It still doesn't feel real.  
"Grab as much as you can. Get clothes, water, shoes, backpacks. Fill them up with canned goods, and boxes – non perishables. Sam, where is that hurricane preparedness kit?" No one did anything for a few moments. I waved my hand subtly in his face.  
"Guys? GO." I whispered harshly, not looking at Carolynn. They took off quickly, grabbing items off of the ground and shoving them in which ever backpack they laid eyes on first.  
"The… the pantry." He replied slowly. I looked at Mason.  
"Get him in your car. If you don't see anything, come back and help me with the hurricane kit. We'll need it."  
Though he didn't really understand, something had clicked in his mind, as well.  
"No, I can… I can help!" Sam replied, starting weakly then finding a reservoir of strength. He stood up fully. I just looked away. Carolynn was growling again, and moving towards us. I looked at him quickly.  
"I think… I think I know what's going on. If I'm right, we need to get her away from us." I looked at Sam and Mason quickly. Julio was in the kitchen whipping cabinets open and grabbing a giant trash bag, filling it with boxes and cans. Carolynn turned her head towards him and the noise he was making.

She was only a few feet away from her door. I dashed a few feet away, where the broom was leaning against the wall in the dining area. I threw the dustpan that was attached to the side, and poked her with it. She turned her attention to me and snarled.  
"I'm going to push her into the room. I need you to close the door behind her after I push her in far enough, okay?"  
Sam nodded.  
I looked at Mason for a moment before I started pushing against her. She was stronger than I thought, and it took all of my strength to get her just two feet.  
"Here, let me." Mason replied, looking serious. He took the broom from me and started pushing her back more ferociously. "Go get the kit, my car should be unlocked."  
He yelled at us over his shoulder.

We nodded and ran into the kitchen.  
On the floor of the walk-in pantry was a three day hurricane kit. Living in Florida, one needed to be prepared – and they certainly were. In the years past they had a hurricane blow through that left them without power, water, or anything for two weeks – the roads were so blocked that they couldn't even go out to get anything. There was water, canned foods, batteries, a flashlight and a radio, a first aid kit, a bag of personal papers, cash and a map, an extra cell phone and battery, several walkie-talkies, a small tool kit, a sewing kit, keys, blankets, rain ponchos, some sunscreen and insect repellent, and a camera.  
"We have a month kit in the garage." Sam replied, looking at me.  
Behind us, Mason slammed the door, pumping his arms in victory. The seriousness of the situation blew over as the imminent threat was gone.  
"Guys… look at this." Catherine had turned the television on to the local news channel, the screen blaring in red, a Breaking news sign plastered across the front.  
"Everyone is urged to go to your normal hurricane evacuation sites – remember to bring food and water and look for your closest evacuation route. If you have pets, remember to check for the pet-friendly sites. This is not a drill. Victims of the infection seem to go into some sort of bodily stasis, beginning with high temperature, paranoia, aggression, and end in a comatose state. Once those infected awaken, they are even more prone to aggression. It is advised that all who are infected remain calm, and seek medical attention. The authorities say that this is nothing more than a new type of flu. All of those with the following symptoms, please seek immediate medical attention: Nausea, Fever, vomiting, paranoia, delusions, headaches or extreme aggression. This disease is spread through direct contact of bodily fluids. Remember: this is not a drill. The evacuation sites will all have medical personnel in stand-by. The list of your local sites are on the screen."  
The screen went blue, with a list of the normal sites. Nearly every school and hospital was listed – one of them being the college that I went to. Something was nagging at me in the back of my head, and I looked at the others. We could hear Sam's mother scratching against the door. Everyone was at a complete standstill, looking at each other.  
"Where should we go? This looks serious…" Caleb said, his brow furrowed.  
We all stood in silence for a few more minutes.  
"You know how we were joking earlier… about going to the middle of the country, finding a farm and all that…?" I started, softly, looking up at their grim faces.  
"You aren't serious, are you? What about my parents? Our families? What about them?" Sam replied, gesturing to the door.  
I had a rotten feeling tugging at my gut. They'll get to safe houses. Most of our families live near the schools. I just have this feeling… like we should pack up, stock up, and get out of here. Like our plan earlier…"  
We stood, not speaking, for a few minutes, not really wanting to go, but not knowing exactly what to do. The television blared its warning repeatedly, and the scratching and moaning at the door was nearly unbearable.  
"Look… if any town has the ability to make it's citizen safe, it would be this one. We have a Coast Guard base, and a Naval base here. We are the government – our families are safe. But we should get out of this chaotic city while we still can. We'll regroup back here when things die down." Mason replied. I nodded at him. He was right – hell he was in the military for Christ's sake!

"Alright. We're settled then. I want the boys to load up the back of Mason's car – play it like Tetris, we want to take as much as we can. Get every bit of water and canned goods in there. Katy, come with me and lets grab the blankets around the house. And everything else we think could be useful."  
We moved simultaneously, like a well oiled machine. I would have never thought I could say something without someone arguing vehemently against me. We weren't well known for how we always got along with each other. It seemed like everyone was always complaining about someone else. But I supposed, in the thick of it, we could really count on each other.  
Ten minutes later, the back of the SUV was loosely packed. We had water and canned goods to feed a small army, blankets and pillows to keep us warm and comfortable, a small amount of Sam's clothing, the full contents of both Hurricane kits, two old tents that smells like moths and cats, three fishing poles and a tackle kit, a couple of pots, all of our backpacks, and some of Mason's extra laundry. Thankfully he kept his car mostly clean – there was only a few candy wrappers, some water and some protein powder in the back seat. We sat comfortably together.

Caleb and Katy were sitting in the second row, next to Julio. Katy found a baseball bat, while Julio was holding a huge hunting knife. Sam was sitting on the floor, in between the front bucket seats. There was surprisingly enough room for him. I sat in the passenger seat, holding a sword between my legs, still in it's sheath. I was with Sam when he had gotten it, being the nerd he was. It was made well, and it had been pretty damn expensive. It was on the mantle, above the television, and it caught my eye. It had a black blade, and was in a black sheath – the sword itself was simple, though the sheath had gold designs all over it. It was some sort of copy from a popular martial arts movie. I just know that I had taken some fencing lessons in high school, so I hoped I remembered how to wield it.

Before Mason buckled himself in, he reached in the glove box and pulled out a handgun. I remember being surprised, though I don't recall why. Later, it was obvious to me. He boasted about his license, went to the shooting range often, and even had a sharpshooting ribbon for his uniform. He checked the clip, and made sure the safety was on. I was watching him, and he pointed to it. "Red means that whoever you're shooting at is dead. Black means safety is still on." He replied, smiling. He set it in the cup holder next to him. He turned on the radio and we listened to the radio broadcast, saying the same thing about going to the evacuation sites, and we pulled out of the driveway.


	2. An Eye for An Arm?

**Author's Note: Hey All! Here's Chapter Two. Enjoy! Review! Critique and Niceties are all loved!**

**I own my six characters: Aaliyah, Mason, Sam, Caleb, Katy, and Julio.**  
**I don't own the Walking Dead, comics or books. I Wish.**

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There was another moment or two of silence, everyone wrapped in their own thoughts. I wondered what they were all thinking about. Even though just a few weeks had passed, everything – and everyone had changed. The joking and fooling around was much less frequent. Where we used to stay up late at night talking and watching the stars, we started staying up in silence and fear, and watching the area, waiting for an attack. I knew what they really had to be thinking about.  
"Hey, guys. They could be safe, you know… there has to be a safe area somewhere. We'll see someone we know, eventually…" I said, slowly, not looking up. I didn't believe it. I know they didn't, either. We had all talked about the safe zones – the infection would have spread like wildfire, ravaging everything in it's path. No one would out right say it. And I wasn't going to be the one to crush their hopes. But no one nodded their head. No one looked back at me. The fire crackled softly, and we stared into the embers.

In the beginning, before everything went dark, the radio said that the major cities in the area were safe zones. That the military had cleared out the city and had a strict process – no one who was infected would be allowed in. And for the first few days, things sounded hopeful. Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville were supposed to be safe. We headed up to Jacksonville at first, hoping against hope that things would be organized.  
We didn't get within twenty miles of the city. The highways were packed with abandoned cars – if anyone had gone into the city, we made the conclusion that they couldn't have survived.  
"Your turn, Aaliyah. What would you have if you could have anything in the world right now?" Katy turned to me, trying to break the tense silence that had formed around us.

"Me?" I replied, looking back at her. I smiled, and sighed. "I would give pretty much anything to be able to sleep in a real bed, with real sheets and pillows, and everything. Just one night of solid, pure, dreamless sleep."

"That would be fantastic – I don't give a fuck if we all have to share a bed, and we end up cuddling to each other, I don't." Sam replied, shrugging, while we laughed.  
"I just want a guitar – so we could jam out." Caleb replied, playing a tune in his mind, his fingers moving soundlessly across air.  
"You know what I really want? To not have first watch." Mason joked, leaning back slightly with his arms behind him. I elbowed him, causing his arm to buckle. He fell backwards as we laughed at him. As he got back up, he tackled me to the ground, causing my medium wavy brown hair to get tangled with leaves, sticks and dirt. The others watched us, laughing, as we wrestled around. It reminded everyone, for a moment, I think, of the good old days – roughhousing, carrying on. I rolled him around on his back, straddling him on his stomach for a moment, when I heard a small snap, coming from inside the woods.  
"Shit!" I whispered, struggling to stand quickly, and quietly. The others saw my wide, searching eyes and went into high alert, standing, holding their weapons. I found my sword and unsheathed it, holding it out in front of me. Mason had drawn his gun, flicked the safety off and pointed it into the surrounding darkness. Katy held her baseball bat above her head, her hands holding it with a firm but cautious grip. Julio had his hunting knife in one hand, and a hand gun in the other, from a store we had raided before everything really had gone to hell. Caleb wielded a rusty machete, gotten from an abandoned car. We tightened our circle around the dying fire, too wired to think about what might happen.  
I heard a rustle of leaves, and the snapping of branches to my left, in front of Sam. I looked at the others, who's heads were spinning, looking for the sound. I pointed to my ear silently, and pointed in front of where Sam stood. He nodded, and the others continued to hold their position at our backs. Sam, Mason and I looked into the dense shrubbery, watching for any signs of movement, and listening for any new sound. I gripped my katana tighter, and steadied my footing. I had the reach to not get within biting distance of the fucker, and my blade was the sharpest still – I could probably be the first to end it. I could hear the others breathing heavily, watching and waiting, their guards high.  
I heard a slight groaning, the tell tale moan hovering in the air above our heads, giving me chills. My stomach was in knots, and I wanted to vomit. I stared, wide-eyed at the space in front of Sam, waiting for it to emerge, so we could kill it.  
Instead, it emerged to my right, and stumbled directly at me, arms outstretched and grasping at air. Before I could even register my shock, and the other's choice words, I turned and hacked swiftly, severing it's head from it's neck. I could feel the sweat slick on my skin, though the night was turning out to be a colder one than usual. I breathed slowly, almost letting out a panicked cry. I put my sword up again, the black blood dripping down its length. The others watched and waited for a few moments, listening hard – waiting for any others.  
After a minute passed, I breathed deeply, and dropped my blade to my side, one hand still firmly gripping the handle. The black goo had coagulated quickly, not really dripping more than an inch or two. I looked at the thing I had just killed, and I felt a stab of pain through my chest at the sight of it. This was really the closest I had ever been to one, in particular. The others glanced at me, but held their positions – we knew the consequences of letting your guard down. Where there was one, assume there to be another. That's how we stay alive.  
It was a little girl… or rather, the remnants of one. She looked to have been six or seven years old when she turned. She had short, curly blond hair like Shirley Temple, with chubby, pale cheeks. She didn't look bloated or rotting, so I figured she must have just been turned. She had a tiny backpack on her shoulders, and was wearing a small coat with a cartoon character on it. She was somehow missing an arm, the stub of a broken bone sticking out of it's socket. Her shirt was soaked with dried blood, but not torn or ripped. Suddenly, I heard another growling, and her severed head began to snap its jaw back and forth.  
This got everyone's attention.  
"What in all of the fucks…?" Sam replied, looking over his shoulder at it, as I scrambled away.  
"It isn't dead!" Caleb's panicked voice rang out.  
"Kill the fucker!" Mason replied, not even looking.  
I watched, unsure of how this worked. So far, just smashing in their skulls had worked, just like cutting of their heads. Then again, it wasn't like we ever checked. As I stood up, another groan was heard in the same direction the little girl had come. Then another, even closer. I positioned my blade to pierce her small, dull eye and scramble her tiny brain. With a swift stab, I lowered the blade directly down. Immediately, the head stopped moving. The jaw went slack and the teeth stopped clicking. I stood up and looked towards the woods. Katy, Caleb and Julio abandoned their posts and we stood in a line, defending out camp against the stumbling monsters.

Two things stumbled out of the forest, a woman and a man. The man wore a backpack, and held a small arm in his hands, while the woman had nothing. With our weapons in hand and our steely resolves, Katy knocked the man over with her bat, while Caleb shoved the tip of his machete into it's nose, burying it deep into it's skull. You could hear the slick sound of its forced removal as Julio set out with his hunting knife.  
Before he could reach it, it lashed out quickly, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt. He yelled in horror as he fell down, trying to rip his shirt back from the deadly grip of the beast, the weight of the thing falling on top of him.  
"FUCK, KILL IT, SHOOT IT!" He yelled, holding the thing at bay. Mason aimed, moving his gun, trying to pinpoint his target – without also shooting Julio.  
Sam suddenly kicked the thing in the face, and while it kept its firm grip, it gave enough space between Julio and the diseased, snapping teeth. Julio pulled his left hand up to its skull, and miraculously it seemed, held his grip on his small gun. With a click of the hammer, it exploded as she bit on the black metal, trying to reach flesh. She went limp, as Julio looked away, closing his mouth and eyes tightly – He pushed her off of him and wretched the gun from her smoking skull.  
We stepped back for a moment, looking at the three creatures. The blood seeped into the ground around them, and their rotting flesh accumulated flies. It was clear that they were a family. The woman was an older version of the small girl, and the man was what I assumed to be her father, as he held a tiny arm by it's wrist, the arm hanging loosely over his mutilated body. We stood around, breathing heavily, not quite looking at each other.  
Grimly, Sam stepped forward and kicked the man over, taking his pack from his shoulders. We watched him as he rifled through it, looking for anything of use. He pulled out a couple of empty wrappers and two crushed plastic bottles, along with a small pocket knife.

"Nothing. Probably why the bastard and his family got killed. At least we know that they can stick together…" He tried to joke, but it fell flat. I crouched down over the headless body of the small girl, and rifled through her pink, blood-spattered pack. It had a broken flashlight, a small, half-empty bottle of dirty water, and a pack of band-aids. The parent's probably thought she was too young for a weapon – then again, they probably didn't have any to spare, seeing how the man only had a pocket knife. I pocketed the band-aids and stood back up.  
The others were still standing warily, not quite ready to return to their spots by fire, but hoping that there weren't any more coming to ambush us from the trees. The tension was palpable.

"Come on guys, it just went dark outside, we can't travel at night!" Katy said, exasperated.  
"No, we agreed on this. If we ever get attacked, there could be more. We should pack up and move somewhere." Sam replied, shaking his head at her. Julio was bent over, looking like he was about to vomit. Being attacked like that, and coming close to death was freaky. I didn't say anything. Usually, Sam and Mason were the more mature ones – never freaking out too much, never putting anyone at danger on field runs, and never attacking prematurely. I wondered if it was because Sam saw his parents dead, so he shut himself off… but it kept everyone safe. Mason just had that mentality, already. He wasn't some sort of authority in the Navy, but people always listened to what he had said. He was the smartest when it came to making plans for attack, or defense.  
"Hey guys… what if they like, had a camp close to here, where they actually had supplies and shit?" Caleb said, looking from Sam to Mason.  
"They can't have survived for three weeks with what little they had on them. They have to have a camp." Katy said waving her hands toward the bodies lying a few feet away.  
"What makes you think they would have a camp here? They could have wandered a hundred miles away, following us. Who knows how good their senses are? If they can hear us when we speak? If those things understand anything at all?" Mason replied, quizzically. He wasn't being harsh, but logical. Katy shook her head angrily.  
"Look at them." I replied, not wanting them to get into an argument. It would escalate, and if there were more close by, the things would probably hear them. We had already been attacked a few times after loud arguments – usually by Katy and Caleb. I didn't know if they attracted the fuckers, but we normally got attacked an hour or so after a blowout fight, so one had to wonder.

"They all look fresh. Not rotted, or anything. I don't know how the little girls arm got ripped off, but it probably had to do with the fucker rotting there." I pointed to the male, who was holding an arm. "They have a couple bites each, no real infection or anything. One of them must have gotten bit by another, they ran away and made camp, then they turned on each other. Who knows? Point is, they probably do have a camp here, within a few miles. Let's just move there, instead of hunkering down somewhere else, and get attacked? It's no the safest place, but what if they had food there, or more water, or they were in a house? We could clear the space, and set up camp."  
Everyone looked to each other, all eyes landing on Sam and Mason. Sam looked at me hard, thinking to himself. With a sigh, he looked at Mason. I bit my lip. It seemed like a sound idea in my head, but who knows?  
"Sounds okay…" mason replied slowly, unwillingly. This was a good camp spot. We had enough cover, and we had put up all of the tents already. Julio stood up, and kicked out the campfire.  
The moon lit up the sky, throwing shadows over everyone's face. Their tired eyes wandered over the campsite as we began to pack up.

We worked efficiently – after picking up and moving every day really made it easy. Caleb made the work the easiest – he went fishing with his father in the world before, when things were simple. They always went camping for the night, and cooked the fish over the fire. Katy made it easy, because her culinary skills gave her the knowledge to skin and gut the fish, making it way easier to eat. Caleb taught us how to put up the tents, but it was slower than him just doing it by himself.  
The back of Mason's SUV was lighter now that the weeks had gone by. We rationed ourselves, but making something that was supposed to last three people a month last six people a month was a lot harder. We learned quickly how to find water, but the other things, like food and whatnot were worrisome. We had done like we said, though, from the beginning. Even though it had been a joke, I had my head screwed on tight. We went to a gun store, and bought guns. It's funny, now I think about it. All of my life I had been saving up, and now, money didn't mean a damn thing. They were just pieces of paper from a government that no longer existed. The guy took our money willingly – And even though he said it was illegal to just get a gun without registering it, the demand was high. People were crammed in the store, begging for guns. I suppose he thought, like we all did, that things would just turn back to normal in a couple weeks. And he'd have a ton of cash, and the others could worry about having guns illegally.  
Then we went to the grocery store. But most of them had been picked clean – even the people working there stopped caring, and got things for themselves. The trip to the grocery store had been fun – things hadn't set in, even though there was panic.  
We went around, the six of us, with our little shopping cart. We practically ran around the store, grabbing things off of the shelves and throwing them into our cart before others could steal it before us. In our haste, we grabbed things that were useless. I grabbed a garden hose and some flower seeds. We kept them, even though I don't understand why I grabbed them in the first place. Sam hopped over the counter and grabbed an armful of cigarette cartons – And punched another guy in the face for trying to take them from our cart. Katy grabbed mouthwash, and shaving cream, and Caleb grabbed four two liters of orange soda. Julio tossed a five pound bag of sugar into the cart, while Mason grabbed a couple of things of tin foil and trash bags.  
Everything turned out to be mostly useful, though. The garden hose helped us siphon gas – a disgusting experience in the first place. Sam was a bear for the first few nights – when we didn't stop at all, so he couldn't get to the back of the car, and get the smokes. He hides them well, just in case Mason decides to relapse, and wants a cigarette. He doesn't want anyone to steal them at all. We all missed soda, so the two liters became our best friend after the first week. And just two days ago, we all but demolished the sugar – we'd been sweetening our water, and it helped us keep food that would otherwise taste disgusting down. The tin foil was the best when it came to the cooking over open fire, and the trash bags helped when we went scavenging. The most useful thing anyone grabbed was the mouthwash.  
It was the fifth or sixth night out. We had just passed the Georgia/Florida boarder, and we were heading North on the 75. We stopped for the night, siphoning some gas from the cars and extra supplies. The roads were abandoned fairly quickly, and people took most everything with them. Sometimes we'd score and get something good, though. It was pretty late at night, and we were far out into the woods, taking no chances. Caleb had gotten tangled in a bush that we later found out was poison Ivy. Fortunately, Sam's mom was this house-wife guru, on top of being a nurse, and had told Sam that mouthwash helps the reaction heal, as well as reducing bruises. Almost miraculously, after two nights of itching like a madman, he was healed.  
We grabbed everything of use we could, filled the gas tank, along with a couple of handheld tanks, and took off. But now, looking in the back, you wouldn't see much. We had some canned good, and all of the non-food items, along with a ton of ammo, a few blade sharpeners, pretty much all of our batteries and the like, along with a couple of shot guns and everything, but not much food or water. Things were dwindling down, and none of us really knew how to hunt. We'd have to stop soon and go fishing, or raid a house or store or something.

Mason, Caleb and Sam had gone scouting ahead, leaving me, Katy and Julio behind. We sat around in the car, wide awake, watching and waiting for their return. We were on the road, near the direction that they were headed. Julio was in the driver seat, his hands on the wheel, staring into the empty space in front of us. I held one of the walky-talkies in my hand, listening for them.  
"How far away do you think the camp was?" Katy asked, gripping her baseball bat tightly. She said she didn't trust herself with a gun, so she just kept her bat. I had a large handgun. It was heavy in my hand, but it was alright to wield. Julio had his hunting knife, and a similar gun to mine. The others had been gone for about 30 minutes.  
"Probably just a couple miles. They're fine." Julio replied reassuringly. The look on her face remained.  
"They can take care of themselves, don't worry. They just need to find where it is, then we'll meet them out there." I said to her with a smile. She managed a tiny smile back, but her eyes held concern. We sat in silence for another few minutes.  
The crackle of the radio startled me, and I jumped. "Hey, Aaliyah?" Mason's voice.  
"Yeah?" I replied.  
"We're about two miles down the road from where you are. We can't find the camp, but we've killed a couple fuckers." I breathed deeply. I wondered how many were a couple – he had a penchant for making things seem better than they were.  
"I'm getting some interference, though. I think there is a radio nearby." This was news. I looked at Julio. His eyes were raised in surprise, as were Katy's.  
"Alright, we'll be right there." I said nodding. Julio started the car, and turned off the automatic headlights. He sped through the empty street, and it took less than a minute to find them. They were sitting by the side of the road, with about ten walkers lying in the grass by them, twenty feet away or so. I looked in horror at them, and their bloody weapons. We hadn't heard any shots, so they had taken them all out quickly. I assumed Sam did most of the work, with Caleb helping a bit. It didn't ease my mind though, that they had been in so much trouble.  
"Why didn't you radio us?" Katy ran out of the car, and slammed the door. Sam was smoking a cigarette and sitting on the ground, crosslegged, and leaning back on one arm, contentedly. You'd think he was having fun slaughtering the fuckers. Caleb was helping Mason clean his hunting knife, while the rusty machete was still caked with blood.  
"Babe, we were kinda busy." He replied, looking up at her.  
"What the fuck where you thinking?" She nearly screamed at him. She walked over and kicked him slightly with the toe of her shoe.

"What the fuck, stop!" He replied, kicking her shoe away angrily.  
"You could have been hurts, you fucking idiot? Did you not know how worried I was? How worried we all were? FUCK." She yelled, past the point of caring, throwing her baseball bat on the ground.  
"SHH!" Mason replied, his ear up to his hand-held radio.  
"You want to shush me? Fuck you, you piece of shit!" She yelled back at him. He didn't respond, instead concentrating on the crackle that came out of the radio. He began to walk away, waving his hand out.  
"Am I the only normal one here? Are you all fucking stupid, you don't care if you go and die? What about the rest of us? We could have helped you, fuckfaces!" She screamed at Caleb.  
"Chill out, Jesus. We were here for a second, and got ambushed. We ran out to the road, and were about to radio you when Mason got some sort of interference, like someone else was on the radio! Then, the fuckers caught up with us, and we fought them off. Relax, you're going to attract more in the area if you aren't quiet. So shut the fuck up." Sam replied, taking a puff off of his cigarette.  
"You like this shit, don't you? Putting everyone else in danger? We would have been fan-fucking-tastic if we just stayed in place. We could have ACTUALLY gotten sleep, you limp-dick fuckwad? Do you want to become a fucker?"

"Hello? Is anyone there? Can you hear me?" Mason said into the radio. Sam's retort was held back, though there was murderous intent written all over his face. He scowled at Katy and stood up, walking over to Mason. I just shook my head at the whole situation. Mason started to walk back, and he held the radio high, trying to get a signal.  
"Guys, come here, I think there's really someone here." Mason motioned to us. Julio started to walk over as I jogged towards him. We listened in quietly to the white noise as she fiddled with the knob, changing the channel. All six of us were watching the radio intently, our eyes flickering back and forth from Mason to the walkie-talkie.  
Suddenly, a male voice broke through, crisp and clear into the night air. The shock showed on all of our faces, plainly. The argument that Katy was having was lost, and excitement filled the air. This was the first contact we had had with anyone from the outside world.  
"Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?"


	3. The Best Beef Stew

**Author's Note: Hey All! Here's Chapter Three. Enjoy! Review, pretty pretty please!**

**I own my six characters: Aaliyah, Mason, Sam, Caleb, Katy, and Julio. **  
**I don't own the Walking Dead, comics or books.**

**So, I'm thinking about writing from another P.O.V. next chapter. Is there any of the other five you'd like to hear more from? Thoughts and the past and whatnot? Or from one of the existing characters, like Rick, Shane, Daryl or anyone? Let me know in a new message or in a review! Thanks all!**

**Special Thanks to Cereline for her review! I wrote this chapter in four hours so I could update today!**

* * *

"Was that…?" I asked, unsure of what I had just heard.

"This is GM1 Potter of the United States Navy. Identify yourself." Mason said in a commanding voice. We stared at the crackling walkie-talkie. My thoughts drifted hopefully.  
If there were people out there still, then there is still chance for rebuilding. Soemone out there must have thoughts of a long term goal… and even though the government has practically failed us, there has to be citizen who are willing to lay down stakes and set up a more permanent camp! But even so, I was cautious.

People were scary in the first place. They fought in wars, killed over jealousy and religion, and spread hatred amongst themselves. It was a harsh world before everything ended, and civilization was destroyed. I couldn't trust anyone. Now, even more so – what we had was in such high demand. Real food, water, blankets and tents. People would probably kill for less nowadays.  
"This is officer Shane Walsh. I'm just outside Atlanta with a group of survivors, and boy are we glad to hear you. I was starting to think rescue was never coming!" Mason's eyes widened in shock. I lowered my head. Great. The first contact we hear of is some high-hoping idiot who thinks that the government is still intact. The others were just as confused as I was, though probably less snarky. Mason paused, unsure of how to respond. This guy sounded so relieved, like the end of the world didn't come and that he was about to get hot fresh food and a shower.

"Sorry, no… I'm not with a rescue team. I have a group of survivors here, also. If you need some extra supplies, we could spare a bit." His finger clicked off the receiver and Katy hit him lightly with the back of my hand.  
"Mason! We can't spare anything. What if this group has twenty people in it? We can't go find them, we're putting ourselves at risk. If they want to be just outside of the city, let them be. Let's continue to Nebraska or wherever. We can't spare anything!" Katy hissed.  
"What if there are twenty? What if there are kids? They need it. We'll figure out something." I replied, slightly angry. She was being selfish, and now we knew that we weren't the only people out in the world. We were obligated to help them, hear their stories, give them knowledge. Help them survive.  
There was a few more seconds of silence.  
"Yeah. We're about two miles east of the highway, and a mile south of the city." The man's voice was cracked, and defeated. This guy actually thought that the Navy was miraculously out here to save the day. I sighed in defeat. The look on the others faces were set – we were going to meet this new group. Probably tonight.  
"Alright. We haven't set up camp yet. Be on the lookout for us in twenty minutes or so. We have a blue trailblazer."  
"We'll keep a lookout. Which direction are you coming from?"  
"We're directly south of Atlanta, on the highway."  
"Alright. We'll keep our fires burning."  
"Over and out." Mason replied, hooking the walkie-talkie onto his belt loop.

I couldn't help but be excited. These people had to be alright – the guy on the radio used to be a police officer! What harm could come from that? If they had someone of the law, they would uphold basic human rights. But I was also cautious. What if these people were dangerous? Or if they had a particularly large group – it'd be like gathering together for the slaughter. We had to look both ways and be cautious about everything.  
We all stood in the circle together, looking at each other, like some sort of twisted, blood spattered football huddle.  
"Alright. We're going out to meet these people. But depending on who they are and how they act, this can become a reprieve for us." Mason started, thinking hard.  
"What do you mean, reprieve?" Caleb asked, excited at the prospect of a break.  
"These people could be dangerous." Katy replied, cutting him off.  
"Yeah, and they could be filled with rainbows and sunshine, waiting to give us lollipops and teddy bears. We don't know anything about them." Sam responded to her, raising and eyebrow and shaking his head.

"There could be kids. And I for one would love the chance to sleep for the whole night." Julio replied, sighing.  
"If there group is five or if there is fifty, it shouldn't matter. There are people out there, surviving even through everything. We know what we've been through, what it's cost us… these people could have been through even worse. We don't know yet. Even so, with splitting duties like watch and whatnot, it would make the work easier on us." Mason replied waving his hands to cut everyone off.  
"Look, guys. As much as we want these people to be our guiding salvation – or as much as we think they could be devils in disguise, we don't know. They're human, just like us. We all have our stories, right? They'll have theirs. We should go out there, and figure them out – then we'll decide something else." I said, staring at all of them, thinking of the most logical conclusion to this. "They may not even know that the government has collapsed. That we're stuck on our own out here, and that there really are no safe zones. We at least need to educate them, before they go and do something stupid." I finished, hoping for the best. I truly did want to see these people. Who knows how long it would be if we decided against it? And we could be sending these people to their deaths, if they try for some sort of safe zone.

"Does everyone agree?" Mason asked, looking at everyone in turn. Katy scoffed slightly and turned away. I could hear her mumbling as she walked away. "You practically decided for us already, of course we're going to follow you, asshole. We don't have a choice."

"Anyone else?" Mason asked, the annoyance plainly written on his face.  
I shook my head and gave a slight smile, looking at the others.  
"It's settled. Let's go." His face was set in grim determination as we piled into the car.

The drive was a bit rough, and tense. Especially since we couldn't quite see far in front of us, and we had no way of knowing if there were any beasts lurking in the shadows, waiting to follow us back to camp. We saw the dimply lit fires in the distance, as we surveyed the camp.  
They were settled in a grassy field, above a cliff. They had a couple of cars, and a clunky looking RV. On top of the RV I could see a shadowy figure with a rifle, looking our way. Then, I could see the group. There were a fair amount of people standing, but not too many. As I saw the distance small shadows of children, hiding slightly behind their parents, I tried hard to hold my smirk back. I was glad that I was right, and Katy wasn't. I glanced at her, as she stared out with her arms crossed. We rolled to a stop and I sprang out of the car. The others quickly followed.  
The first person to meet us was presumably Shane. He was dressed in a pair of brown slacks and matching open jacket with a slightly dingy metal badge clipped above his heart. He was wearing a plain white shirt underneath, which was only slightly dirty and stained. It was hard to see his face in the flickering fire light, but I could tell he had a strong chin, with a few weeks beard growing in. He wore a smile, but his eyes betrayed that. I could tell he was crushed at the sight of Mason, who was wearing his stained working uniform, still all neat and tucked in.

"Shane Walsh?" Mason asked, reaching out his hand. I watched the others, as they watched us. Our group was sticking closely together, weapons loosely in hand. Most of the adults were slowly making their way over to us, though reluctant to leave their fires. We walked close to the nearest fire and stood stock still, silently watching everyone.  
"Potters?" Shane asked, taking Mason's hand and giving a firm shake. Despite roughing it for the last several weeks, the others looked in pretty good condition.

"Call me Mason." He replied, with a quick smile. "Quite a large group you have here." He tilted his head, looking at everyone.  
"Yeah… that it is." He smiled back. I realized that they were doing a sort of non-verbal leadership dance in their minds. Figuring out the strengths and weaknesses, if the other was friendly or if he could be trusted. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Men.  
"I'm Aaliyah!" I responded with a small smile, staring at Shane, and holding out my hand. He took it with a nod. He had a strong handshake, but I made sure to respond with just as much force. My father had taught me that you can get the feel of a whole person just by shaking their hand. If they had a weak grip, or went limp, you couldn't trust them to have your back. If they were too strong, they were trying to assert themselves over you. If they shook for too long, they were too excited to see you and they were probably a salesman. If they shook for too short they didn't trust you. From what I could tell from Shane, he was some sort of de facto leader, and he wanted everyone to know that – and for some reason, he sort of trusted us. Maybe it was Mason's uniform.  
"I'm Caleb and the grumpy one over here is Cathy." Caleb said, motioning over at Katy who still had her arms folded so severely, I thought she was going to cut off oxygen to them and they'd fall asleep. She scoffed at him and scowled at Shane and his group.  
"Sam." Sam said succinctly with a curt nod. Usually he was friendlier, but I suppose the end of the world takes it's toll on people.  
"I'm Julio." Julio replied with the tiniest of smiles.  
"Well it's great to see some other people from the outside world. Uh… this here is Allen, his wife Donna and their twin sons, Billy and Ben." Shane pointed to the group of people to his right. I was standing directly in front of them, on Mason's left. Allen was a larger man with a bit of a pot belly and a worn plaid shirt. He had a thick beard and head of hair, which me must have been growing far longer than just three weeks. Donna was also a bit on the heavier side. She wore a white shirt with the American flag on it, the stars studded with rhinestones. Her hair was short and blonde. She gave a slight smile at us, while Allen nodded. Next to them was a pair of twin boys, no older than seven or eight years old. They both had short, light brown hair and had mischievous looks. I smiled and waved at the younger ones.  
"Over there, the blonde by Allen is Amy. Up there on the RV is Dale, keeping watch." The older man waved at us. "By the other fire is Carol, and Ed and their daughter Sophia." Amy looked young, about my age, and Carol was a older – probably around 40 or so. She had short light grey hair with streaks of dark grey throughout. Ed was still sitting, his eyes on the fire, not looking at our group. He had a pot belly that spilled onto his lap, and wore a scowl on his face. Sophia was a cute little girl with long curly blonde hair, probably around 8 years old, who wore a grey hoodie and held a teddy bear in her arms. She had a tiny button nose and looked at our group curiously.  
"The man on the log is Jim."  
Jim looked really skinny to me, and held a depressing air over him. I knew that aura well – it was a dark mind that held it. Sam looked exactly the same right after everything happened. Before we knew what was going on. Jim's eyes looked hollow and his cheeks were gaunt. Something about him didn't sit right with me.

As I was observing Jim, a woman walked out a tent, and up to Shane. They exchanged a few whispers as she looked up at us warily. She wore a thick plaid shirt and jeans. I would think that someone raided some sort of department store and all they grabbed was plaid, with how much of the pattern I'd seen around the camp. Her eyes were heavy lidded, and her mouth was thin, with her nose a tad bit on the large side.

She had long, straight black hair – I remember back in the day, that was the hair I had always wanted. Long, straight, thick, black, and manageable. Now, I suppose I was glad to have the hair I had. It was fairly long, just past my shoulders. It was a medium brown, with dark and light streaks running throughout my curls. My hair was fine, and tangled easily. I ran my fingers through it everyday, but that didn't stop knots from forming. But I had grown used to it – if I had hair that was always a straight black sheet down my back, I would be more upset with it. As it was now, I had learned to put up my hair with my own hair. Both Katy and I had lost the few hair ties that we had. I could just take one of my curly locks at the base of my head and wrap it around a dozen times, and tuck it in. It didn't come out of it's ponytail as often as I thought it would, so it was pretty secure. I liked to think of myself as kind of handy with it.  
The kid was pretty cute, and pretty young. He looked to be around eight or nine. He wore a shirt with a paw print and an atomic sign behind it, along with a red jacket and blue jeans that were torn at the knee. He had medium length brown hair, and a grin.  
"This here is Lori and Carl." Shane mentioned with a slight smile. I could see that the Shane and Lori had some sort of connection with each other, just in the way he said her name. He looked at us and gestured over to the fire, sitting himself down facing the RV. I had to admit, it looked tempting to go and warm myself. Mason looked back at me and then to the others. Sam shrugged one shoulder. Without waiting for them to really respond, I decided to just go and sit – I was pretty damn cold, you know? And that fire, while low, was enticing. I looked over the whole site as I walked, taking everything in.  
It looked like the camp was in a giant half circle, all sort of facing in. Behind the several erected tents was the RV, and cars, fortifying the camp from behind. To the other side, the way the tents were facing was the cliff, dropping off to a small rock quarry and lake. The path was pretty short, but the cliff walls were high, protecting the group from that side. I could see around the entire camp. The trees were mostly barren here, and I could see the city skyline in the distance. The wind blew ever so slightly away from the city, bringing the ever so slight scent of decay. For some reason, I still wasn't used to it. The others, they were. Even Katy, who always said she was the most sensitive of us all being a chef, had grown used to it. Well, not when the fuckers were up close and personal with us, but when we were safe. When we were out in the open without the beasts walking around, without the corpses close to us, I could always smell it. It was faint, but it was there. Maybe it was even in my mind, who knows.  
I sat on the ground, facing away from the RV. The space there was open enough for us to sit down, if we spread out enough. I was cross legged on the ground, my jeans protecting me from the stiff dirt and grass. I motioned to the others with a smile. We're here, we might as well enjoy it. I rubbed my hands together and faced them toward the fire. I felt content, if still wary of the situation. The people seemed nice enough – just normal people like us. I wonder how we must have looked to them, a bunch of twenty something's. We probably all looked too young to really survive on our own, without too much trouble. I suppose looks really are deceiving.  
"So where are you all from?" Allen asked curiously.  
"Florida. We've been traveling from the beginning." Mason replied, the last person to settle down.

"Really? All of you?" Amy asked quietly.  
Julio and Sam nodded. "We're all from the Daytona Beach area." Julio replied.  
"How about you all? Where are you from?" Katy asked, leaning against Caleb. She had lost the scowl and decided she might as well learn something about these people as well. She could hold a grudge, but she wasn't above learning or looking for help.  
"All over, really. Lori, Carl and I are from Cynthiana, Kentucky. It's just a small town… It was. Pretty much, we all just came here to Atlanta. We'd heard it was a safe zone. But of course, that wasn't true. So now, we're just here, right outside the city. If rescue is coming, they'll find us real easy." Shane said, hope filling his voice.  
I exchanged a fleeting look with Mason, and bit my lip. I knew that must have been why they were so close to the city, but actually hearing it? I saw the subtle shake of his head, and looked down. There was a moment of silence, before Caleb broke it.  
"Is this the whole group? Have you lost anyone?" Now that wasn't a question I would have thought of. I just thought that this would be the only group. Shane looked at Amy. She looked away while Shane then looked into the fire. This was obviously a touchy subject for them.  
"No. We have another group in the city, searching for supplies…" Amy replied this time.  
"What? In the city? Jesus." Sam replied, sitting up at attention, and rubbing a hand through his hair.  
"They're… trapped. In a department store. They contacted us earlier in the day…" her voice faltered as she looked at the ground, close to tears.  
I was appalled. I couldn't imagine the inner struggle going on in their minds. It seemed like some of the people in this group must have been close to each other.  
"Who went out?" I asked, looking at the others. Shane looked back at me, obviously upset that we were all talking about this of all things.

"A couple of our own. Amy's sister, Andrea. A boy named Glenn. Uhm… T-Dog and a man named Merle. His brother, Daryl is out in the woods somewhere, but he's a tough one."  
I swallowed this information hard. If they're trapped… in the city no less… they aren't getting out. It's would take a miracle for them to get out, and if they did… to be sure they'd lose some people. Overall, the chances of them coming back at all were slim to none. And they knew this, I could see it on their faces. Amy stood up and walked away, into the RV. We all watched her go in silence. What on earth could anyone say?  
"Okay, so better topic of conversation…" I said lightly, hoping to change the mood. What was the harm, right? It would get their minds of off the horrors they faced. I smiled lightly at everyone. I saw that I had caught them off guard. "Is anyone hungry?" I knew that our group hadn't eaten that night. And from what I could see, I didn't see any canned goods or anything around. They must be living off of hunting, and what supplies they could scavenge from the city.  
"Hey, Julio, Sam, Caleb. Could you help me set up the tents? If you don't mind, that is." Mason glanced at Shane.  
"Nah, go right ahead. And we are all sure hungry, we haven't had much but canned carrots and peas. It's why Glenn and the others went into the city in the first place." I smiled at him, and I looked at the children's faces. Their eyes were wide with hope of a full stomach. I looked at Katy, who looked slightly sullen. We all stood up, and began to walk to the car. The boys got the tents, with help from Allen and Shane. Katy and I got the largest bin of canned goods, and started to rifle through them.  
"I'm sure we can spare something other than carrots and peas." I joked, handing two cans of beef stew to Donna.  
"Oh, my goodness. I haven't had stew in ages! Thanks!"

"Yeah, we stocked up. It wasn't the best stuff before the world ended, but now it's like heaven in a tin can."  
"Here you go, guys." Katy handed the twins two more cans of the beef stew. Their smiles lit up at the same time. "Awesome!" The replied, running towards their mom as she walked away, staring at the two cans of stew I gave her. If there was really one thing to cheer Katy up, it was a couple of kids. She might never admit the fact, but I knew it.  
We passed around a couple of cans of soup, and some fruit. I sat in the car in the back of the car, with the trunk open while Katy went over the guys with an armful of goods. Normally, we wouldn't have done this. I suppose it was just the spirit of the group. I knew that my five friends were ecstatic – they could all sleep for the whole night. We might as well eat well enough to keep us going, and be well rested for the next day. I was content, to say the least.  
Things were going well, it seemed. I didn't know what to really expect, but… well, it could have been worse. I looked at my hand, which was still carrying my katana. It was weird, honestly. It seemed like an extension of my hand – I hadn't even noticed I was still carrying it. So fluid, and graceful, yet so horrid and overwhelmingly depressing. I remembered a time when the worst thing about my life was that I was always so busy. Without work, and school, It was hard to get my thoughts straight. Everything had been so straightforward.

Go to work. Make my rounds. Help with medications. Make my rounds again. Do paperwork. Go home, change out of my scrubs into normal, comfortable clothes. Go to class. Take notes. Go home, do homework, study. Go shopping on Thursday mornings, hang out with friends on Friday nights or clean. Repeat the week. Every week, for a year. Such was the life of mine. So simple. Stressful yet simple. I longed for those days. For the kind of tired that could be fixed by three cups of coffee. This kind of tired… This bone chilling, aching numbness sort of tired that didn't go away… It had become my life.  
I looked out, over at my group of friends. I'd have never imagined we'd have become so close. They had set up the tents. Katy and Caleb were inside one, doing God knows what. But Mason, Julio and Sam were standing by the second tent, talking. Making jokes. Laughing.  
I looked out at them, and I felt this wave of something close to anger. But it was much more like loneliness. I could feel both of the emotions stab me in the chest, sending waves throughout my body. Suddenly, I wanted to cry. Why did they get to continue on, like the world hadn't ended? How could they joke, and laugh? I didn't understand. Bastards. I looked over the rock quarry, and down into the blue lake, lit up by the night sky. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.  
I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. Fuck this, I'm not a little bitch, and I'm not going to cry. I'm not twelve anymore. I don't have a reason to cry. People were dead before the end of the world, to me anyway. I was one of them. I didn't have a purpose, really. I had goals, and dreams, but I was dead. Just as emotionless as the fuckers walking around out there. Only waiting for my next big thing to do. Eat, sleep, work. Repeat. I was just as dead. And now, I feel even more empty. What is there to live for, anyways?

I always put on the brave face. The girl who could deal with anything, and come back kicking. Was that really who I was? Or was it an act? I even believed it for a while, the shit I went through when I was younger. I was the logical one, the one to count on in the thick of it. But here, where the others felt safe. Where I felt safe. Even in a world where the dead walk around, I felt the sweet release of safety. For one second, I could lower my guard, and not die. With all of these people around, we would actually have a chance.  
I breathed in, closing my eyes. Out. In. Don't think, just for a moment. Just be.

I opened my eyes. And I smiled. Everything was great. It had just been a moment of insecurity, in the face of the quiet calm. Just a small freak out when facing reprieve from the storm that was life. I knew I held my emotions in check. I breathed out slowly, and looked towards the stars. The moon still shone just as brightly. The stars twinkled in the sky, millions of them strewn across like a glorious painting. That was a wondrous thing about nature. The beauty was astounding – without the light pollution of any of the cities, the stars lit up the sky like tiny sparklers that never faded. Never went out.

Just like humans. When faced with the adversity of brighter light, or the darkest darkness, we don't fade out. We don't disappear. You just don't see us for a little while – and when we come back we're stronger than ever. More beautiful for what we've been through. I smiled at the thought of all of us in a camp, together. It was a beautiful thing.  
I was still staring at the stars when I felt eyes, somewhere watching me. I looked around, and saw two people looking my way. One was Lori, though I couldn't see the look on her face, she stood still, her arms crossed over her chest. I wonder how long she had been staring at me, and if she saw my moment of weakness… I knew I showed all those emotions on my face. My wall broke down for the moment, leaving me vulnerable. I couldn't tell from where she was standing. She quickly walked away and into what I assumed to be her tent. I furrowed my brow at the thought of her watching. What a snoop, it was none of her business how I was feeling.  
The second one was Mason. He was walking towards me, his eyes trained on me intently.  
I started to swing my legs back and forth, the toes of my shoes touching the ground lightly, swishing in the tall grass.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked quietly, sitting next to me in the small space that was available in the trunk of his car.  
"Yep." I smiled widely at him, flashing my teeth for a moment. "Just thinking bout stuff."  
"Yeah?" He asked. He smiled back, a small, coy smile. I wondered suddenly what he was up to.  
"What's up?" I asked, looking at him curiously.  
He paused for a moment, I suppose trying to find the right words.  
"Well… They had an extra tent, so we didn't have to all cramp in the tiny ones we had. Julio and Sam took them up on the offer immediately, and are probably already asleep."  
"Yeah…?" I half replied, half asked. I didn't understand what he was trying to say.  
"And Caleb and Cathy both have a tent to their own…" He continued, not really answering me.  
"Spit it out, woman!" I joked at him, pushing him lightly.  
"Well, we could share the other tent. You know… Just the two of us." He smiled shyly at me.  
Suddenly, it clicked in my brain, what he'd been trying to say. I felt like an idiot. I didn't know exactly what to say for a few moments, the realization hitting me hard.  
"I… uh…"  
"Uh, nevermind. I'll just go and talk to Dale, maybe take his watch…" He stood up and rubbed the back of his head. I could see in the pale moonlight his cheeks were ever so slightly tinged with blush, the blood rushing through his face. As he started to walk away, I stopped him.  
"No, I'm sorry. I just didn't realize… that you…" I shook my head and rubbed my face. My tiredness was getting to me, and I really was ready for sleep. "I just don't think that this is the right time to talk about this." I finished lamely. Good God, I was an idiot.  
He shook his head at me. "I understand, it's alright." He replied sheepishly. He turned around and walked away quickly, going to a tent I knew wasn't ours. I suppose he went to sleep with the guys, leaving me to the tent by myself.  
How did I not see this before? I suppose all of our playing around over the last few weeks could have counted as flirting… I was just dense. Before, that was why I never had any real relationships… I just didn't take hints as easily as most girls. I didn't even know how I felt about the man. We had grown a lot closer, that was for sure… But I had also grown closer to Sam, and Julio, and Caleb and Katy. I didn't know anything.  
And I felt exhausted. There were too many emotions bouncing around in my brain. All I felt for weeks was fear and excitement. This was too much. I closed my eyes, feeling a headache starting to form. I grabbed the bridge of my nose and rubbed slightly.  
I took a can of peaches and opened it, gobbling them down in seconds. Feeling stuffed, I closed the car door as quietly as I could, though Dale turned around at the sound from his position on the RV. I waved a goodnight to him and he waved back.  
Turning, I walked into the tent, curled up in the blankets, puffed up the pillows as best I could and fell asleep within minutes, even the cold, hard ground and grass feeling comfortable under then thin material of the tent.


	4. Stolen Cars and Tainted Memories

**Author's Note: Hey All! Here's Chapter Four. Review, and I'll give thanks!**

**I own my six characters: Aaliyah, Mason, Sam, Caleb, Katy, and Julio. **  
**I don't own the Walking Dead, comics or books.**

**A quick P.O.V change - Shane! I don't know if I got his character the best. But this is my first real story, so take it easy on me. I'm not making him as crazy and power hungry as the television series, but not as bleh as the comic. Tell me whatcha think.**

Also, I'd love to know what you all think of Aaliyah's flashback! Too rushed? Too freaky? Not freaky enough? Anything!

* * *

"Hey, do you remember that time when I tried to just order Soda from Pizza Hut?" I heard Sam yell as we gathered the firewood for tonight. The sky looked dark, a few grey clouds blocking out the sun. I was grateful for the reprieve. It had been getting increasingly hot and humid, each passing day seeming to add another layer on top of the world, threatening to drown or suffocate me.  
I laughed, remembering the simple phone conversation. "Yeah." I answered back. "They tried to get you to buy a pizza, so you just bought a side of banana peppers and garlic sauce. And the guy got so frustrated, he made you talk to his manager for ten minutes. That was funny."  
"I never got those peppers." He replied back, one foot on a large log, pulling away a more manageable branch of dead wood.  
"How about that time when we played with those fake plastic light sabers in the store, and we got kicked out?" I replied to him.  
"I think everyone and they mother did that back in the day. Oh, how about that time when I walked into the store with no shoes on, and walked out with sandals, and no one said anything?" He replied, laughing. We collected sticks for a moment, simply laughing. After a few moments, the laughter died, replaced by the eerie silence.  
"Remember that time when me, you, Julio and Mason got drunk and basically spilled all our fears and weaknesses to each other? That was practically the same day I met you guys." I smiled at the thought. Sam chuckled, and nodded slowly.  
"We never thought that this would happen then, talking about our failed grades, the inability to find good jobs, and the uselessness of everything…" He said, slowly, the ghost of a smile on his face.  
"Yeah… But at least we don't have to worry about that crap anymore!" I smiled back at him. He looked up at me for a second, before smiling himself.  
"I think just a bit more should be fine. We'll make another trip if we have to."

* * *

Shane's POV

I looked over at the two newcomers, helping with the chores for the day. It was early morning, and they had woken up at Dawn, along with the rest of us. They figured out everything pretty quickly, figuring what needed to be done the most, and who would do best at what.  
Lori and Allen went out for firewood, while Aaliyah and Sam went out the opposite direction. The latter two came back quickly with their arms full. I looked towards where Lori and Allen should have been, but didn't see anything. These people must have been workhorses, to do something that took the others twice the time. They got double the outcome. I could certainly respect that, and I knew that they would hold their own weight around the camp.

They were secretive, that was for sure. Or maybe it was just untrusting. I sure knew I could be after what they'd been through. Julio told me a bit about it. He could be counted on, for sure. A bit hotheaded and whiny, but tough in the long run. The Sam kid was a character. He was pretty quick to crack a joke, even at his own expense. Most of them were stupid. Makes me think he don't have much in the way for brains.  
The couple, Caleb and Cathy were okay. Just your typical couple. Started their day with a fight, but they seemed to respect everyone else enough to take it beyond the camp. I saw the bat Cathy took. It was caked with dried walker juice. She seemed a tough one, even for just being a chef back in the day.  
I talked most of the night with Mason. After nearly everyone went to be, he climbed up here on the RV. Just talked about the government, mostly. I told him about what I'd seen in Atlanta, how they bombed the city. It made him think for a while, but he said they must have evacuated the city, and then they tried to clean it out that way. When I thought about it like that, it made sense. I was still worried though. He said he'd been separated from the base, and he tried to muster after a few days, with no response. I figured they musta all went to a bigger base, and Mason agreed. He said it seemed like something they'd do. Told me that there was an Army base near here, Fort Benning. It was far enough from the city to not be infected by the masses, but close enough where they could survey the damage from afar. He believed that staying out here, close to the city was smart. It'd be the first place the government would look, once they started cleaning up.  
Aaliyah though, I didn't quite trust her. At first she was bright, and bubbly. Giving food to the kids, and all. But then, when we all woke up, she seemed to avoid everyone. She volunteered to go out for firewood alone. She probably would have, if Sam hadn't just decided to go with her. She even avoided her own people, the group she came with. I didn't know quite what to make of it.  
I watched her cautiously as she dumped her arm full of dead wood. She waved to Sam, who yelled after her. "Don't wander off too far, alright?" She waved him off. I watched her huddle her black peacoat around her. My eyes watched her retreating form, as she walked towards the edge of the cliff. I shook my head as I noticed I was looking at her backside. She was wearing pretty tight jeans – not tight to where they would be considered fashionable, but certainly practical. I climbed down from the RV, and looked down at Lori who was just emerging from the woods. A sound emerged from a distance, familiar yet incomprehensible.  
The camp stood up, looking around in the distance. All of the people stood up. I glanced at Aaliyah, who had also stood up. She brushed the dirt off of her jeans and rushed over with the rest of us. I wondered what it was as I cocked my shotgun, ready for anything. Whoever it was was a damned fool, making this much god damned noise.

* * *

Aaliyah's P.O.V

"Talk to me, Dale!" I heard Shane yell as he ran up towards the RV. I jogged up there as well, the incessant sound ripping me from my alone time and my thoughts.  
"Can't tell yet." He responded curtly.  
"What's going on?" Mason asked, his firearm firmly in his grasp.  
"Sounds like someone has stolen a car." I replied, half a smirk on my face.  
"Is it them, are they back?" Amy replied, the worry written all over her voice. Everyone faced the main road, the direction that we had come in from.  
"I'll be damned." Dale said, removing the binoculars from his eyes.  
"What is it?" Amy asked anxiously, biting on her lip.  
"Stolen car is my guess." He replied. I rolled my eyes. I know it's been about a month or so, but it's still not hard to mistake that sound. Of course it's a car alarm. The question was, who was gutsy enough to have stolen it? And even more of a pressing question, Why?  
A few seconds passed as I watched the dirt cloud rise up behind a shiny, bright cherry red car. It came to a quick stop, the door opening to reveal a young Asian boy, around my age, or perhaps a bit younger. He was grinning from ear to ear. I walked a few steps closer, to hear what was going on more clearly, the sound of the alarm echoing over the hills of Georigia.  
"Holy crap, turn that damn thing off!" Dale yelled. The Asian boy raised his hands up, still grinning.  
"I dunno how!" His smile gave off a sort of lack of concern. The next few moments were filled with chaos.  
"Pop the hood." Shane replied, pointing his gun at the hood of the car. Amy raced up to the boy, and started pestering him for questions.

"Where is she, where is Andrea?"  
"Will you just pop the damn thing?"

"Okay, okay!" The boy slid into the seat, and popped the hood.  
"Is she okay? Is she Alive? Did she make it out?"

"Yeah, Yeah, she's okay!" The boy yelled, exasperated and still trying to make himself heard over the cacophonous alarm. Dale had climbed down from his spot on the RV, listening for the news the boy would bring.  
"Is she coming back? Why isn't she with you?" I glanced at Amy, silently telling her to shut up. If she would just listen for a moment, then she might actually learn something. Jim, the quiet one, raised the hood up and reached in, removing a small chip. I assumed it was the fuse, but I didn't quite know. No matter how much my father tried to teach me, it was one of the things I never understood.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" She continued, staring at the boy through tearful eyes.  
"Yes!" he replied, sighing. Yeah, they're fine, everybody is." He replied, looking around at everyone. I caught his eye for a minute, and he quickly looked away at the others, most of them standing behind me. Mason had his hands on his hips, looking at the boy and his car.

"Well… Merle, not so much." He replied, looking away, his eyes squinting in the sun.  
"Are you crazy? Driving this thing up here? Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?" Shane asked, still leaning over the car.  
"I think we're okay." Dale replied, looking around.  
"You call bein' stupid okay?" Shane replied back at him, standing up solidly. I stared at him in silence, glancing at the others with a slight bit of fear.

"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills, it'd be hard to pinpoint the source." Dale replied, still looking around at the hills. Shane gave him a menacing look, his hands on his hips. Mason folded his arms over his chest, staring at the two men.

"I wasn't arguing, I'm just saying… It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, though would it?" Dale turned his attention from Shane back to the Asian boy, point a finger. The boy looked down, properly chastised. He murmured a small apology.  
"Got a cool car…" He gestured to the cherry red vehicle. For sure, it was truly a beautiful car. My father would have been jealous. I saw Julio and Sam looking at it, a smile on both of their faces. They weren't car freaks back in the day, but they certainly could appreciate a nice car better than anyone else in the group. The rest of the people shuffled around awkwardly, not saying anything, Just nodding slightly in acknowledgement.

A truck emerged around the bend slowly, the low rumbling of the engine heard from around the corner. The Asian boy smiled slightly at the people, looking towards the truck.

The first to emerge from the back was another blonde girl.  
"Amy?" She replied, jogging toward what I assumed to be her sister. I couldn't remember her name now, for the life of me. I'd be sure to get it later, I hated not knowing the names of those around me, especially in this time. One false syllable could mean that warning someone from impending doom was going to be a lot harder and much more risky. Amy began to jog to meet her, about to break into tears. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. I just suppose I had never really been attached to anyone enough, nor separated without much hope of seeing them again to truly worry about their safety.  
"Andrea!" Amy replied as she was jogging. I nodded, filing the name in the back of my mind.

The next to file out of the back was a larger black man, with a bald head and a patterned shirt. He walked slowly, looking over the camp. His eyes fell on Mason, and then the rest of the group standing silently behind me. I glanced away, not wanting to meet this mans eye's. He looked just as world weary as the rest of us, if not more. My eyes landed on Shane, who had been looking away. I watched, catching what he was looking at. In the distance, slightly away from the group, Lori was talking with her son. She had knelt down, taking his hands. He looked about to cry. I contemplated this. I wonder if Merle had been with them, and they were waiting on him?

"You are a welcome sight!" Dale replied, giving a quick hug to the black man. "I thought we had lost you folks for sure." Dale shook his head up at him.  
"How'd you all get outta there, anyway?" Shane asked, looking away from the emotional scene.  
"New guy." The Asian boy replied. "He got us out." I watched Amy and Andrea, their heads huddled together, crying, as they walked through the group.  
"New guy?" Shane asked, glancing for a fleeting second at me and the ragtag group around me.  
"Yeah. Crazy asshole just got into town. Hey, Helicopter boy!" The black man yelled over his shoulder back at the truck. "Come say hello!"  
I watched as a figure emerged. I could see he wore a police officer's uniform, the different shades of tan and brown clashing against each other, the badge on his chest gleaming brightly. "He's a cop, just like you." I watched as the man ahead paused for a moment, his mouth forming the words, "Holy shit."  
I looked up at Shane, who held nearly the same look of surprise on his face as the other man. He backed away slightly, shifting his weight from side to side. The other man pointed for a second, the shock registering on his face. He began to walk quickly towards the group as I heard the boy, Carl yelling behind me. I turned around, registering the word he was repeating. "Dad! Dad! Dad!" I watched as Lori ran behind her son as the man reached Carl, nearly crying. It was like the scene from some sort of movie, and I felt like cheeky sappy music should have been playing in the background. The others looked on in shock as the family hugged, for the first time in who knows how long. I looked away, not feeling like I should be in the midst of this private moment. It was so tense and filled with joy… I felt like an intruder. I stood there awkwardly for a few long moments.

"Oh, thank god." The man replied. "I… I was so worried about you." He said, his words muffled in Lori's thick black hair.  
"It's good to see you, man." Shane replied with a grin.  
Lori cleared her throat, and wiped away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. "He helped us… get here. We wouldn't have made it without him." She replied, grinning at him.  
"I guess I owe you more than I could ever repay."  
"It was nothin'." Shane shrugged the man off. "I had to make up for getting you shot like that."

"Man that wasn't your fault. Besides, I'm perfectly fine now." Rick replied, hugging his wife and son tightly.  
I stared at the reunited family, jealously aching in my chest. I was so happy for them, I felt as if I could burst. But I was bitter at my own memories of the family I never had.

I was eleven years old at the time my father died. I had spoken my final words to him just a few hours prior to his death._  
"Listen, little ladybug. I'm all you have. And one day, maybe even soon, you may not have me, either. But you gotta raise hell. Don't ever stop. This world is harsh, and you have to constantly learn to adapt, and survive. Learn new skills. Sharpen your old ones. There are mundane things here that you can use to help you. Look and listen, and always be aware of your surroundings." He said, taking my small chin into his massive, worn and calloused hands. I don't even remember what he did for a living.  
"Yes, papa."  
"Take a look at the room. I'm going to change something here, and you have to tell me what it is." He replied, his brown eyes staring into my light blues ones. I looked around the sparsely decorated living room. Moonlight poured through the dusty shutters, sending steams of white over the worn grey tile floor. There was a small television, and a large desk covered in papers. The door in the corner led to the kitchen, while the hallway led to the two bedrooms and the bathroom. The only picture on the wall was of a smiling woman, holding wildflowers up to her nose. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was the most beautiful women I had ever seen. My father would point up there every once in a while and say, "Do you see that pretty lady? That's your mother. She disappeared when you were real young. But one day, we'll find her. Promise?" I'd promise. Like always.  
"Now, shut your eyes." He'd stood up and was by the door. I shut my eyes and covered them with my hands, still standing in the middle of the room. I hear a few rustled papers, and something heavy being set down on a hard surface.  
"Open them. Tell me what you see."  
I looked for ten minutes. I tried to remember the papers, and the heavy thing. I didn't see anything different for a few moments, until I spotted it. On the desk, buried beneath a newspaper was a small bulge that hadn't been there before.  
"Right there, on the desk!" I pointed, starting to walk over to it. As I picked up the papers, I looked up at my father. He was smiling down at me.  
There, nestled amongst the different folders and papers was a square box wrapped in white paper. I picked it up, surprised to find that it was heavy in my hands. I looked up at my father, unsure. He nodded silently at me.  
I quickly opened the package, revealing a heavy silver pocket watch and chain. The engraving on the front was of a ship with billowing sails, with water crashing against a rocky shore.  
"It's so pretty!" I replied. I opened it carefully, the weight of it cool and heavy in the palm of my hand. It was a simple watch, with numerals instead of numbers on the face. Engraved on the other side of the front was my name in cursive writing.  
"Happy birthday, little Aaliyah." He replied, stroking my hair. "Now you have to keep care of this. If you lose it, I will be very angry." He said, chastising me. But this was the most precious gift I had ever held. "It's not even my birthday yet, daddy. Not for a whole month!"  
"I know, sweet pea. But I couldn't wait to surprise you." He replied with a smile. "Now, bedtime. God brush your teeth, Aali." He said, pushing me towards the hallway._

When I woke up in the morning, I spent a solid twenty minutes staring at the face of my new pocket watch. I could sort of read it, but it always was much more difficult. When my eyes adjusted in the bright sunlight that was streaming through my windows, I finally read the time on my new watch. Around 11:40 in the morning.  
I started to panic slightly. My father had always gotten my up early in the morning, at eight o'clock, so I could go to school and he could get to work.  
I jumped out of bed and quickly walked towards my fathers room.  
I jumped up on the bed, lookin to rouse my sleeping father… When I realized that he was not sleeping. His hands were cool to the touch, and I saw a small puddle of crimson red blood formind around his head, a thin stream leaking out of him mouth. His eyes were open, and he held a small black gun under a pillow with a bullet hole in his. His left temple had a hole in it, where it was still leaking blood. The only window to the room was wide open, a slight breeze wafting through the thick white curtains.

The police closed the case the same day, ruling it a suicide.  
But my father sure as hell wouldn't have killed himself, for any reason, not leaving me behind. But I knew that something had happened. My father was not left handed. But who would listen to a blubbering eleven year old?  
I shook my head, ridding myself of the dark thoughts.

The worst part was, I had the pocket watch up until last year, when somehow, it had gotten stolen while I was just starting working. I had scoured my house three times before I admitted it was gone. I know it had to have been stolen, because my television, and two game consoles were taken, as well and the window being smashed.

"And this is Aaliyah." I heard Mason say, his hand motioned towards me. I blinked a couple times, realizing that I must have wandered off into memory lane so hard, I missed the introductions. I gave a small smile, and a slight wave. Rick nodded his head at me.

The day passed quickly. With the chores mostly done, or else being ignored from all of the excitement, I wasn't really busy. Normally, our group would be on the road. Moving slowly through cars, picking through old houses and killed a couple dozen fuckers. Now, sitting in the same place, I realized there wasn't anything to do. I decided to sit on the edge of the cliff overlooking the small body of water, simply relaxing and enjoying nature.  
The daylight faded and left us staring at orange skylines fading into blue over the sunset. A couple of fires were started, growing as the darkness fell. I finally joined the others in my main group around a small campfire. People were pairing off, or going to the fires closest to their tents.  
"Some crazy shit, huh?" Sam asked, walking up to the group and sitting down with a huff.  
"Yeah. You know what's even weirder? We haven't seen a fucker all day today. I think this is literally the first day that we haven't seen them." Caleb responded, looking around to see if one would magically appear to ambush us unexpectedly.  
"Hush. There are little kids around here. Besides, they call them walkers. I think it's a more fitting name." Katy was sitting next to Caleb, though they weren't holding hands.  
"Walkers? Huh. I guess that's what they do… but I think shambling is a more appropriate term." Julio said, shrugging his shoulders. "To each their own, I suppose."  
"Did you hear about what those guys went through in Atlanta?" Mason asked the group, nodding back towards the other fires."  
"Yeah. That's some shit." Julio replied, shaking his head. "I haven't had much time to talk to the guy, Rick, but I've been talking to Glenn most of the day. I hear that Rick was in a coma, got out, and went to Atlanta. Only woke up a few days ago."  
"Damn." Sam replied, his eyes wide.  
"What's with you, Aaliyah? You've been really quiet for the last two days. Something wrong? Katy asked, concern written on her face. I glanced at Mason, getting the others attention.  
"Nah. Just waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know? When something seems too good to be true, it probably is." I replied, mostly honest. I was still a bit flustered about what had happened with Mason the other day, but I didn't know how to approach it. It wasn't that I didn't like him, it was just… so out of the blue. I had no real indication he even liked me like that before… I had to admit, he was attractive. Especially in that uniform. But well… I was socially awkward before the end of the world. How was someone supposed to approach a relationship now? You're alive, I'm alive, let's get together and kill dead things? It wasn't as simple as that.  
We sat around the fire for the better part of two hours, just talking about random bullshit. Reminiscing old times, better conditions, playing in the rain, and a good nights sleep.  
"Hey, Ed?" I heard Shane's voice raised just loud enough to reach the campfire about twenty feet from us. Ed sat in a lawn chair while Sophia and her mother Carol sat quietly on the ground. I furrowed my eyes at his behavior, having just watched him in the corner of my eye take a large log and toss it onto his fire.

"Wanna rethink that log?" Shane called out. The group was now all staring at Ed and his meager fire.  
"It's cold, man." Ed replied, his head resting on the back of his chair.  
"Cold don't change the rules, does it?" Shane replied sternly. "We keep our fires low, just embers, so we can't be seen from a distance. Right?"  
"I said it's cold. Why don't you mind your own business for once?" Ed called over his shoulder. I watched Carol and Sophia's faces, embarrassed but unwilling to do anything. They lived in fear of the man. My hands shook with rage. This also angered Shane. He stood, and walked over to Ed's fire site. I watched, huddling my jacket closer to my own body, holding in my heat as best I could. Though the days were hot and humid, the nights were colder. Autumn was fast approaching, and soon enough we might even be able to see our breath on the air. I couldn't fault the man for being cold, but Shane was adamant on this fact. Low fire. Stay safe.  
I couldn't hear exactly what Shane was saying. He had lowered his voice, talking directly to Ed.  
"Go on. Put the whole damn thing out. Go on!" Ed replied, passive aggressively. I watched as Shane took out the log and stomped on it, putting out the fire that had emerged, crackling at the bark. Sophia looked down at the ground silently as Shane crouched down. They talked for a few minutes in low voices. Shane walked back over to his fire, and I looked away from the scene.  
"Well, I think I'm about ready for bed." Julio said, breaking the silence. I could hear thunder rumbling in the sky above, threatening to pour down over the camp.  
"I'm with you. I wouldn't like to be out in this rain." Sam replied, looking up at the RV, where whoever would be on watch would be staying.  
"We're turning in, too. See you tomorrow morning!" Katy replied to them, standing up and stretching. Caleb smiled and yawned. "Night, guys."  
The others left, leaving Mason sitting next to me, alone.

I smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to expect from him.  
"Look…" I started sheepishly. "Sharing a tent isn't a big deal. I'm fine with it. I just… I don't want things to get weird between us, alright? So let's just go on, and keep doing what we've been doing." I said softly, not meeting his eyes.  
I looked up at him, and he gave an unexpected smile. "What else would we do?" He replied quickly.

"Alright… Well, I'm going to hit the proverbial hay. So, I'll see you in the morning?"  
"Yeah. Just a warning though… I've been told I snore." He said coyly.  
"Oh, god I already know."  
The first week, we all realized this fact. Every night, without fail, he snored like a propeller was stuck up his nose, or he was starting a chainsaw. He insisted on keeping watch, so others could get sleep – and he wouldn't attract any walkers.  
He laughed at me as I walked away.  
"Sleep tight. See you in the morning." Mason replied with a small wave.


	5. Linens and Squirrels

**Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter - This week has been one thing after another. First, I helped move around my house entirely, so I could take a new room. Then, my dog ran away - and when animal control found him, they charged me around two hundred bucks to get him out. Now, I have a couple of interviews over the next few days, so I can start working again, and get my student loans in control - on top of a ridiculous hospital bill that went to collections before I could set up payments. Anyway, enough about my weirdly hectic week.**

**Review, Favorite, spread the love!**

**For all of you Daryl fans, the group finally meets him - and in the next chapter, they'll all react to his presence, and he'll do likewise.**

* * *

When I woke in the morning, camp was already bustling. I gathered what little laundry I had, now wearing a simple white t shirt and some cut off jeans. Mason had gone off with Shane on a water run, down at the small lake. I had a plastic bin at my feet, ready to find out where to do some laundry, for the first time in weeks. I saw Lori holding a small box in her hands, filled with some of Rick's clothes and a few other garments. I shouldered my makeshift sling for my katana on my back, the sword handle sticking out over my left shoulder.

"Hey! Mind if we join you?" I called over to her, picking up the bin, and supporting it on my wasite. Katy had just walked up, presumably to help me with the laundry.

"Yeah, sounds fine. Carl! Where are you going?" She directed her attention at her boy, who was

running the opposite direction with a pail in his hand.

"Over by Sophia's car! We're going to play in the dirt!" He smiled widely. I grinned at his simple response. This was what kids were supposed to do! I remember, back when I was his age, making mud pies and burgers.  
"Alright. I'm going to wash our clothes with Donna, Carol, Aaliyah and Cathy. Keep an eye on Allen. If he tells you to go into the RV, you do it." She replied firmly.  
"Alright mama." He said, running off to meet Sophia, who was already playing in the dirt.  
"Don't worry so much, Lori." Donna urged smiling. "Amy and Andrea are going to watch the kids." I glanced at the two sisters, just a few feet away, walking towards the kids.

"Anything to get out of laundry duty." Carol smiled, her words just loud enough to carry to the blonde's ears.

"You're damn right!" Andrea shouted back, smiling. Amy rolled her eyes at her older sister's antics.

"Not in front of the kids." Donna scolded, a frown on her face. I held back a grin. If they weren't used to it by now, with everything they had seen…  
"Oh, bite me." She replied, quirking an eyebrow at the woman. Donna replied with a small scowl. While Amy and Andrea chuckled.  
"Stay safe, you guys!" Amy called out in her sweet, small voice, giving a friendly wave.  
"We always do." Lori replied over her shoulder as we started to walk away.

We walked a few paces before picking up some simple small talk. Normally, I wasn't one for this, and I knew Katy hated it for sure. I looked over at her, her vexed expression making me shake my head at her. Really, it wasn't that hard to chill out for a few minutes. Not everything had to be so serious.  
"I can't wait to see how these things smell with the new detergent the group picked up from the city." Carol said, holding a box of detergent in her petite hands.  
"Yeah. That stuff Dale has in his RV just wasn't working! It made the clothes smell a bit better, but not by much." Lori replied, smiling in agreement. It was at this time that Katy's temper flared.  
"Jesus Christ. Will you listen to yourselves? You are excited about trying out a new detergent? This is such a load of utter bullshit." Katy was shaking her head, gripping her small box of clothes so tightly her knuckles were turning white. The looks on Carol and Lori's faces were shocked and upset, but for some reason, Donna looked smug, as if she were about to say something of the sort herself.

"Damn, Katy. We're not throwing a party. Chill out. I responded, furrowing my brow. We had only just met these people the other day. Freaking out on them for such a simple reason wasn't going to make friends.  
"I'm just looking forward to the possibility of clean smelling clothes. It'd be a welcome change right now." Lori defended herself, her upper lip curling in anger. Carol looked at the ground timidly.

"Are you really that dense to just think that such a little thing would actually matter?" Katy replied vehemently. She rolled her eyes before storming off, muttering under her breath at the looks she received from both Lori and me. I stared after her in shock. Normally, she was pretty intense about stuff, but not like this. She just flew off the handle, for no apparent reason. I shook my head at her retreating form.  
"I agree with her! I don't understand why we're the ones always doing the laundry, while they get to stand watch, or go hunting, or fetch water. When things get back to normal, I wonder if we'll still be allowed to vote." I stared at Donna incredulously. Was everyone losing their minds? I didn''t know her that well, but I thought she'd at least have some common sense.  
"Are you serious?" I asked, shaking my head at her now.

"Well, I don't know about you, Donna… But I can't shoot a gun. I've never even tried. To be honest, I wouldn't trust any of those guys with my clothes. Rick couldn't do it with a washing machine before… he'd be lost out here." Lori replied with a slight chuckle. Carol smile softly at her last comment.  
"Yeah. This isn't about 'Women's Rights'. It's about being realistic and doing what needs to be done." I stared at the older woman, who was clearly not happy about being chastised by someone who was around fifteen years her junior.  
"Whatever." She replied, walking ahead of the group, carrying a bag of clothes on her back. I sighed.

"Don't worry about her. She's just a little frustrated." Carol replied to me sweetly. I gave her a half smile. We reached the lake and began to work quietly, talking about the simplest things. The beauty of the lake, the area surrounding us, the colder nights. After around a half an hour, I looked over at Carol, who was standing a few feet away, keeping watch.  
"You know, you don't have to keep a constant watch." Lori called out. I looked at her, slightly surprised. "They're not that fast. Just a glance in every direction every few minutes and we'd be fine." It was at this time I realized that they had grown slightly complacent. In an open area like this, that could mean death. When I glanced around, I realized none of them even had weapons! I mean, we were just outside of the city. There were bound to be fuckers… er, walkers… everywhere. My eyes hadn't stopped scanning the area and listening for the tell tale groans since I had woken up this morning.  
"I'm just being thorough…" She mumbled, clearly lost in thought.  
"So, Aaliyah, right?" Donna asked me, ringing out a shirt over the water. Obviously our little tiff had been forgotten. I wish it were only so easy with Katy.  
"Yeah?" I replied with a tiny smile.  
"I've seen you, and your group of friends. How'd you guys all come to be friends? Y'all are pretty close." Donna asked, grabbing another shirt and soaking it in the water.  
"Especially that Mason guy." Lori grinned coyly. I blushed slightly and chuckled.  
"Ha, it's a boring story. We're all just friends." I replied, thinking of the group, and the first time we had met.  
"Aw, come on. I could use a story." Donna pleaded with me, smiling.  
I laughed. "Well, Alright. Basically, Mason has always been the focal point of our group. We wouldn't have been friends if it weren't for him. He had been off out in the world on deployment for a fair few months, touring around the Middle East on an aircraft carrier. When he came back, it was around Christmas, so Sam organized a party at his place. I didn't know anyone at the time. I was just starting my second round of college, after taking a year off for work."  
"What were you going to school for?" Lori interjected curiously.  
"I was going to be a pediatrician. I had just started my Masters in Pediatrics that fall. I had a ton of homework and studying to do, but for some reason, I decided to go to the party – I was in High School with Mason before he left for Boot camp when he graduated, and I hadn't seen him for over four years. He had known Caleb because Caleb's brother was on the same ship as he was. I think he knew Katy from his mother's friend, and I don't know how he knew Julio.

"Anyways, the six of us ended up staying the whole night after the party had ended, just talking. Figuring each other out, playing games, pretty much anything. Afterwards, we all just sort of started to hang out. I was the latecomer, really, for the longest time. With all of my school, I only ended up hanging out with them when Mason came over. But, in the end, we all became really good friends."  
"And how about that Mason, then, huh? I noticed you two are pretty close, sharing a tent and all…" Lori trailed off. The unsaid rumor in her words almost made me blush again.  
"No, no, Nothing like that." I waved my hands, frazzled. She raised an eyebrow at me. "It's just the space. We're just friends." I smiled awkwardly.  
"Well, if anything, you two would look good together." Carol replied with a smile. I felt the heat rise in my face as I looked away, busying myself with the last of the clothes. As I glanced at the others, I saw them exchange looks.  
Now really. It wasn't anything like that… I think. In high school, I did have a little crush on him. He was gangly, and odd, but he was a natural leader. I stayed by myself most of my days, occasionally joining a couple of friends during lunch. I was completely socially awkward though. By my senior year, I still looked like a kid – Short hair, comic book tee shirts, and no feminine development. Sure, three years later I grew up and finally looked like I was old enough buy cigarettes in the store but in high school? It was torture. I never dated, and it was probably because the chunky me with acne and an awkward disposition didn't look anything but your average teenager. It made me a bit stronger, I suppose, but looking back brought memories of bullies, and sitting at lunch alone.  
"Alright. Let's get back to camp." Donna's voice ripped me from my thoughts as I looked down to find that I was completely done with the laundry, and it just needed to be hung dry. I looked around the woods one last time, surprised at myself for getting lost in my own thoughts. Satisfied, I picked up the bin of sopping wet clothes and stood up, walking back to camp with Carol, Lori and Donna.  
When we got back to camp, I followed Lori, Carol and Donna to the clothes area, where they had set up a couple of lines. Carol quickly busied herself with heating an iron, and exchanged a few words with Lori. I took a line a few feet away from them, and started to hang up the clothing, taking down the wooden pins that were stuck on the line. I watched the rest of the camp, just looking at the hustle and bustle. I saw Caleb and Katy arguing quietly by their tent. She threw something at him and walked off in a huff. He stood there for a few minutes before simply opening the flap of the tent and going inside. Julio and Sam were helping Jim and Dale take apart the cherry red car that Glenn has stolen and driven here.  
About fifteen minutes or so had passed when I saw Rick, walking over to Carol. She had taken his uniform and had been smoothing them out with the iron, as best as she could. They spoke for a few minutes, and then he went on to Glenn. He had been standing there for ten minutes, indignantly folding his arms, watching the four men take apart the car, siphoning gas and removing the wheels.

"Go on, strip it clean." Glenn yelled out, angrily.  
"Generators need every drop of fuel they can get. Got no power without it." Dale replied, patting him on the back as he walked away with a gas can in his hand. "Sorry, Glenn."  
I glanced around the camp another time, looking for Mason. When I didn't see him anywhere in the camp, I frowned.

He walked over to Lori, where she was putting up clothes, and folding the ones that were still on the line. Andrea and Amy had volunteered to help us, taking over for Donna. They exchanged looks as he walked up, and I smiled to myself.  
"Morning, officer." Lori said, hanging up a shirt. They spoke quietly for a few minutes. I watched the look on her face go from playful to annoyed, to almost hurt. I looked away, not wanted to snoop in her business.  
Suddenly, I heard a vehicle speeding towards us. I looked and saw Shane in his Jeep, Mason in the Passenger seat. Mason climbed up and out of the car, picking up a pail of water. I had washed his outer jacket, his shirt and pants, leaving him in a different navy blue tight fitting shirt and sweat pants, which said Navy down the side in bright yellow letters. The shirt was long, but he had it scrunched up at the bottom. It showed off his physique in a fitting way. You could make out his buff arms extremely well. I frowned, watching Andrea and Amy notice this also. They exchanged a small look and giggled quietly.  
"Water's here, y'all." Shane yelled out, climbing out of the jeep. "Just a reminder to boil before use." He finished, looking around the camp. Andrea and Amy both rushed over to the back of the jeep, watching Mason lift two more cans of water and place them on the ground.  
Before I could really be angry about the way they were looking at my friend, I heard a loud, ear splitting scream in the distance, throwing the camp into chaos. Before anyone else had reacted, I dropped the shirt I had been holding and unsheathing my katana in one swift movement.  
"Mom!" Carl yelled, running over to his mother. "Dad!"  
"It's over there!"  
"Momma?"  
"Mommy!"

"Billy? Ben?"

"Rick!"  
"Carl!"  
"Katy?"  
"What's going on?"  
I ran, jumping over low lying branches, and I reached the cause of distress first, the others not but a few steps behind me.

I circled around the walker, watching it mindlessly chew on a fallen deer with two arrows in his hindquarters, holding a line of pink intestines in its hands. I glanced around, not seeing any more in the area. I looked at Shane, Rick, Glenn and Julio surround the thing with me, looking around as I was. I could hear the sighs of disgust behind Julio as the rest of the group emerged, looking at the thing feasting on the stomach of the fallen animal. Dale and Sam emerged next to us, also holding blunt instruments. It looked up, finally noticing fresh prey standing in a circle all around it. It growled it's guttural, unnatural cry, unsure of who it would try to attack first.  
We didn't give it a chance to take even a single step. I watched in awe as the group fearfully beat it with the blunt instruments, spinning it around in order to land a blow. Someone knocked it down, and watched in shock as they continued to beat it, letting out frustrations and landing unnecessary blows on it's back and shoulders. It started to lift itself off of the leaf strewn ground. There was a pause in the beating, and I looked at the men surrounding the creature.  
With a pitiful glance, I brought my sword down on it's head. I missed, severing it's head from it's shoulders, like slicing through butter with a hot knife. I stood up straight, blood dripping neatly down my gleaming blade. The others stared at the walker, breathing heavily. I looked at the men expectantly. They backed away slowly from the lifeless body.  
"That's the first one we've had up here…" Dale said, catching my look. I glanced briefly at the others, the shock still showing on their faces. "They never come this far up the mountain." He said, looking at the others as well. They were shaking their heads in agreement, still reveling in the rush of their kill.  
"They've been running out of food in the city, probably." Mason replied, wiping at his nose. Sam nodded at him as the others backed away even more. I heard the tell tale signs of another presence, aimlessly walking through the underbrush, breaking leaves and sticks without care. I raised my sword up steadily, caught up in the moment. I cautiously waited, standing stock still. The others fidgeted, their arms shaking from the excitement. A figure emerged from behind a small crop of rocks, staring blatantly at the rest of the group. He was wearing an old wife-beater and jeans, with a crossbow sling across his shoulder. Around his neck he wore binoculars, and I noticed a hunting knife in a sheath around his waist.  
"Oh, Jesus." I heard Shane mutter as the figure climbed over some of the larger bushed and rocks in an effort to get to the group. He lowered his shot gun and turned away from the man.  
"Son of a bitch!" I heard the newcomer mumble darkly, his thick southern accent making me roll my eyes. Even living in the 'Deep South' for as long as I had, I absolutely hated the southern accent. Just the way it sounded send shivers of displeasure down my spine.  
"That's my deer!" He started, possessively. "Oh, look at it, all gnawed on by this filthy, diseased bearing, motherless, toxic bastard!" He let out his frustration by kicking the corpse of the newly rekilled fucker, accentuating each adjective with a forceful blow. I raised my eyebrow at the man. That if that wasn't unnecessary, I didn't know what was.  
"Calm down, son, that's not helping." Dale replied calmly. I noted with distaste that he had a line of about fifteen squirrels lined down his back, held on by a string.  
"What do you know about it, old man?" He replied, striding over towards Dale. Shane lifted his shotgun, barring any further passage towards Dale. "Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to your golden pond." The man walked back to the deer, and sighed, looking at it's remains.  
"I've been tracking this deer for miles…" He said. I was sure then that we was talking to himself, disgusted at his lost prey. He grabbed one of the arrows sticking out of it's hide and pulled. It came out with a sickening sound. "Was gunna drag is back to camp. Cook us up some venison. What do ya think, we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" The man looked up t the group, a mere moment of confusion at the new faces he saw.  
I shook my head at him. "I don't even want to think about the diseases that thing must carry. I don't think we should even attempt to risk that." I replied. He looked up at me for a moment. I couldn't read his expression as he stared up at me blankly.  
He stood up, staring at the dead doe on the ground.  
"That's a damn shame…" He eventually sighed out. "I got some squirrel." He started, readjusting the strap of the rodents that lines his back. "About a dozen or so. It'll have to do." I forced myself not to grimace. Squirrel wasn't the first thing on my list of animals I'd enjoy eating. I looked up at him as he looked curiously at the group that surrounded him.

Suddenly, I head the familiar sound of teeth clicking and I looked down at the severed head. In the midst of the excitement, I'd forgotten about the incident that actually led us here – the little girl, and he severed head.  
"Oh, god."  
"It's still alive?"  
"Jesus, people."  
I shook my head, and swiftly buried the end of my katana into it's right eye. I pulled lightly and the sword emerged without resistance. I reminded myself to sharpen my blade again when I was cleaning it this time. I glanced at the new character, who lowered his crossbow. He would have probably shot it if I hadn't killed it first.  
"This… this happened with another walker we killed a few days ago." Mason piped up, looking at the group. My eyes looked up as well, his voice conjuring me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the newcomer, who's name I knew I had been told, but for some reason escaped me. "Right, Aaliyah?" He asked, looking at me. I squirmed uncomfortably under the attention I now received.  
I nodded curtly. "Yeah. You have to ensure that you destroy the brain." I replied, not meeting anyone's eye. I walked off, trying not to remember the little girl and her curls before I destroyed the thing she had become. I heard the group disperse behind me, and I walked back over to the clothes area.  
I felt a small tap on my shoulders. I turned around, after picking up the shirt I had dropped. It was Mason. He gave an unsure smile. He opened his mouth, and was cut off by the sound of the new man, walking confidently out in the open.  
"Merle! Merle. Get your ugly ass out here!" he called out. "Got us some squirrels. Let's stew 'em up." I cocked an eyebrow at the man. He was certainly a character, that was for sure. I rolled my eyes at him, and returned the smile to Mason.  
"Daryl. Slow down a second, I want to talk to you." I watched as Shane stopped the man, Daryl, in his tracks.


End file.
